This book is a rich document of the eleven Thin Cities projects commissioned by Art on the Underground that took place along the Piccadilly line over the course of its centenary year in 2006/7. The projects, which were all temporary in nature and ranged from performances to more traditional sculptural works, appealed to a broad section of London Underground customers and a wider audience of contemporary art professionals.
The project followed a curatorial thread of storytelling and description inspired by the writing of Italo Calvino, in particular the book Invisable Cities, a chapter heading from which the overall project takes its title. The format of Thin Cities also takes inspiration from the elements of the various projects by artists including Richard Woods, Guy Bar Amotz, Stephen Willats, Rut Blees Luxemburg, Asia Alfasi, Nils Norman, Heather & Ivan Morrison, Simon & Tom Bloor, Jim Isermann, Emma Rushton & Derek Tyman and a Station of Future competition. Texts are by Gavin Wade and Francis McKee with introductions by Tamsin Dillon and Sally Shaw.