A PAIR of artistic young Shepherd's Bush residents unveiled a new pop-up art concept at the weekend. The duo look set to take the capital by storm so GREG BURNS popped in to find out more.

ANYONE who has spent any time in W12 will testify to the area being one of the most culturally-diverse and fascinating places in London.

Filled with an eclectic mix of people and talents, Shepherd's Bush has its positives but also a darker and more sinister side.

And it was that exact contrast that two young Bush artists wanted to capture in their innovative Open Doors art project at the weekend.

Photographer Tom Page, 24, and friend Katie Parkes, 23, an illustrator, are on a mission to travel across the capital and allow artists to showcase their talents.

The concept sees people invited to build a picture of their community and display the results in one-off exhibitions.

With no better place to start than Shepherd's Bush, Tom turned his Galloway Road home into a mini-art gallery on Saturday to kick-off what they hope will be the start of something special.

He said: “Sometimes people don't have the confidence to show-off their talents and talk people through their work because it is difficult to get your work on display.

“We want to develop a real community project and concentrate on one borough at a time and really tap into the depth of talent out in London.

“There really was no better place to start than Shepherd's Bush to be honest. We have lived here for a few months and it really is such a diverse and interesting place and we were thrilled with some of the pieces we got back.”

The pair began tapping up local artists three months ago and were flooded with positive responses from people willing to capture their own image of the area.

They included photographer Beka Walton with her 'Your Money or Your Life' photographs which capture the history of Shepherd's Bush Green used as a place for 18th Century gallows.

Omid Pizza restaurant was captured by artist Kieron Lee while Julia Page produced a moving image of a homeless man sleeping on the Green.

“It is very important for us to get local people involved,” said Miss Parkes. “We have had so many great responses and can't wait to see where we can take the Open Doors concept.

“The plan is to move around so we may look at Wandsworth next and work from there. If we can build interest, get some financial support and build our reputation across London we believe it can be a huge success.”

To find out more visit www.opendoorslondon.blogspot.com or email opendoorslondon@gmail.