Virgin Trains Showing Adnan Bayyat Artwork

Thousands of out of date timetables and ticket wallets have been turned into stunning artwork creations, which have gone on display in Virgin Trains’ First Class Lounge at Manchester Piccadilly station.

The creations have been made by acclaimed Manchester artist Adnan Bayyat. The scrap material has been sculptured into flower arrangements and swans.

The artwork is part of a joint initiative between Virgin Trains and Adnan to encourage the sustainable use of waste materials in a creative way and ties in with his ‘The Solution to Pollution’ initiative.

Virgin Trains’ Station Manager for Manchester Karen Grimshaw said: “Adnan’s work is widely acclaimed and we are delighted that he had produced a range of stunning creations for all of our passengers using the First Class Lounge to enjoy. The Lounge provides an ideal venue for Adnan to showcase his work and promotes a strong environmental message.”

Adnan has also taken a couple of old and worn-out Virgin Trains uniforms and turned them into a wedding dress, to show that it is possible to recycle almost anything.

Adnan Bayyat said: “Many thousands of tonnes of printed materials end up in landfill every year, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Environmental initiatives are high on the agenda at Virgin Trains and I have been able to show them what can be done with old leaflets. The Virgin wedding dress, from old uniform items, was also an appropriate item for me to create in Royal Wedding year.”

Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group. It has operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997; the current franchise runs to March 2012.

Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach.