Young London artists looking for cheap studio space in an expensive city are turning their eyes toward subway cars — though those eyes would be looking up, not down. That's because these retired subway cars are actually on top of a warehouse-turned-art-gallery in Shoreditch, London, where they offer a sparse, multi-purpose space for artists who pay an oh-so-cheap $30 a month. Auro Foxcroft, the mind behind Village Underground, even got a sweet deal on the cars: £800 for four of them.

It's a novel idea, and one that breathes new life into what's essentially junk. Foxcroft plans to expand his Village Underground to other cities, including Berlin, Lisbon and Toronto. (Hey, what about New York?)

Check out the gallery below for more shots of the subway art studios.

Village Underground, via CBC News, via Inhabitat (Last gallery photo taken by Ray Grasso)