AP News, August 3rd, 2006
An English performance artist on Thursday unveiled an absurd solution to the record heat bedeviling Britain this summer: a "commute suit."
Liam Yeates, 36, incorporated gadgets he said were useful for subway travel, including a fan in a briefcase, a built-in water bottle, and perfume bottles sewn into the shoulder pads to mask the smell of sweat.
"I'm a commuter super hero," Yeates boasted of his creation, which he donned outside a major London subway station. "People are always peeved off on the crowded Tube or bus and suffer in the heat. This is a bit quirky, fun and will make me cooler, too."
London temperatures peaked at 95 degrees during an exceptionally sun-baked July. On July 19, temperatures on the Tube _ as London's subway is more commonly known _ reached an estimated 117 degrees.
Yeates said he wanted to address artistically what people were suffering while commuting during the heat wave.
The suit has blue, orange and red spring-mounted balls that are designed, Yeates said, to keep fellow commuters at least 6 inches away. There is also a bowler hat with a bright, flashing yellow light on top; Yeates said it served no useful function, but was included simply to attract attention.
While Yeates said he hoped his design would inspire people to be cool and comfortable on the Tube, passing commuters expressed reservations.
"I might consider wearing that suit if it kept me really cool," said David Chambers, a 30-year-old recruiting consultant, who laughed at the sight of Yeates.
"The trains, Tube and buses are really hot, so it's good that he's making a statement," said Chambers, who commutes an hour each way in and out of London. "But, man, it would take a lot to wear that."
