A Liverpool artist and filmmaker has created ‘a love letter’ to the 86 bus

A Liverpool artist and filmmaker has created ‘a love letter’ to the 86 bus after capturing snapshots of life on one of the city’s busiest routes.

Nicki McCubbing, who uses it herself to get into town from her home in Mossley Hill, has brought together images and conversations in a pocket book called The 86.

It’s a collection that gives a unique and relatable glimpse into the lives of passengers going about their everyday lives and sharing a whole range of emotions on their journeys.

Nicki’s residency came about as part of Picton Play, a project commissioned by the city council’s Culture Liverpool team to celebrate communities through creativity.

Arts organisation Metal, which is based at Edge Hill Station, wanted to embed artists in unexpected places so they could find out more about the Picton area and get to know the people who live there.  

Nicki spent three months recording her experiences as she travelled along the Smithdown Road stretch of the Arriva route.

She explains:

“The residency was Metal’s idea – listening is a perfect way to get to know the people in the area. I applied for it after seeing it advertised online and I don’t think I’ve ever felt so strongly about a residency before. 

“I quite often make notes from what I overhear on the bus and the 86 has been my route for over 25 years. It felt like it was made for me and I was so happy when I got it. I have seen so many crazy things on this route over the years! It’s a unique route in that we have people from all over the world; different ages with different experiences of life all sitting together going towards the same place.”

The book is the latest project for 47-year-old Nicki, who returned to her home city after studying Fine Art at Manchester University. She’s exhibited sculpture nationally and internationally, and recently made her first short film, The Mummy, which has been shown at film festivals across Europe. 

From November 2023 to April this year, she sat on the 86 day and night making short observations and snippets of conversations on the notes app on her phone of what she saw, heard and even smelt!

“I also took some photos on my phone out of the window and on the bus. I remained anonymous and didn’t speak directly to most of the people included, and I kept all the people anonymous too. I don’t think it would’ve worked in the same way if I’d spoken to them directly,” she says.

“It was actually a lot harder than I expected to really listen on the bus as I was so used to zoning out either by looking on my phone or out of the window. Eventually I ended up with hundreds of small observations and photos which I then had to edit down into a small book. I didn’t know when to stop as each journey was different and new and I began to find beauty and value in almost every journey. 

“When I started the residency, I thought I would write about the big dramatic events like arguments and fights but in reality I became more interested in the small things people say or do that made me laugh or see them in a different light. It’s Liverpool so obviously it’s going to be funny! It ends with a man falling down the stairs which was classic slapstick. 

“There is anxiety and sadness and awkwardness in there too – one observation simply reads “sad goth girl lets everyone on the bus before her” which I also loved. Some are longer observations and some reveal something of me in them too as the observer.

“I hope people see themselves as ordinary people in this and they find the beauty, humour and intrigue in the everyday, including the bus. I feel it captures the Picton area at this particular point in time but is also a universal experience, documenting the strange everyday experience of travelling in close proximity with strangers all going in the same direction.”

The 86 book will launch on Thursday October 3, between 6pm and 8pm, at Metal at Edge Hill Station. John Aggy from Sonic Yootha will DJ a special curation of tunes based on the route and Claire Welles will perform new songs on the night.

With words and photos by Nicki, foreword by author Lynsey Hanley and book design by Lisa Robson, The 86 will be for sale via Metal’s website and selected book shops after the launch.

The 86 Bus book will be available to buy here from Saturday 5 October.

Find all the latest Liverpool news here.