Love Underground

Love Underground was inspired by promiscuous readings of the archive of queer semiotics, including the Hanky Code, Polari, and badges from the gay liberation movement. The idea at the core of it is the Cruise Code, which uses London tube station names and LGBTQ+ colour schemes as signifiers for romantic and sexual desires – a nod the legacy of public transport and adjacent spaces as popular cruising spots. The map and badges that are part of the code function as a covert communication system. They are a way of signalling to people in the know, of finding each other and taking up space with public feelings and desires. This invites embodied encounters, and hopefully opens up the possibilities of cruising to a more diverse group of people. This work imagines London as an erotic commons and hopes to contribute to futures with better pleasures and more erogenous zones. ♥

• http://www.loveunderground.lol