The Line (sculpture trail)
The Line is a public sculpture trail in London's East End, opened in 2015, that very roughly follows the path of the Prime Meridian as it crosses the River Thames.[1][2] It consists of a set of sculptures positioned on a 7.7-kilometre (4.8 mi) walking route starting at the London Stadium, passing down the Lea Valley, crossing the Thames via the Emirates Air Line, and ending at The O2 in Greenwich.[3] The exhibition includes works by Anthony Gormley and Damien Hirst.[4]
North of the river[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/ArcelorMittal_Orbit_at_night.jpg/170px-ArcelorMittal_Orbit_at_night.jpg)
ArcelorMittal Orbit and The Slide
- Anish Kapoor: ArcelorMittal Orbit. It is the UK's tallest sculpture at 115 metres (377 ft) tall. It was commissioned by the Greater London Authority[5]
- Carsten Höller: The Slide, 2016. Entwined in the ArcelorMittal Orbit, this 178 m-long (584 ft) steel slide, is the world's tallest and longest (as of 2020): it offers a 40-second descent, 12 twists and turns, and speeds of up to 24 km/h (15 mph).[6]
- Thomas J. Price: Reaching Out at Three Mills Green only the third sculpture of a black woman in the UK.[7]
- Abigail Fallis: DNA DL90. This 9.3 m (31 ft) sculpture, commissioned in 2003 is made up of 22 shopping trolleys in the shape of a double helix. It was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of American biologist James Watson and English physicist Francis Crick’s discovery of DNA’s double-helix structure.[8]
- Joanna Rajkowska: The Hatchling. This work is a 180 cm × 240 cm × 180 cm (71 in × 94 in × 71 in) replica of the egg of a blackbird, one of Britain's most common birds, known for its song and distinctive blue-green coloured brown-speckled eggs. This is a mixed media work and sound equipment plays the noises made by chicks as they prepare to hatch.[9]
- Laura Ford: Bird Boy (without a tail). A sculpture of a lost child, wearing a bird costume standing motionless on the edge of a pontoon in the Royal Docks, hoping he will go unnoticed.[10]
South of the river[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Antony_Gormley_Quantum_Cloud_2000.jpg/170px-Antony_Gormley_Quantum_Cloud_2000.jpg)
Quantum Cloud
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Liberty_Grip.jpg/170px-Liberty_Grip.jpg)
Liberty Grip, at North Greenwich, London, with (to left of cable car pylon), Gormley's Quantum Cloud in the background
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/Alex_Chinneck_-_A_bullet_from_a_shooting_star_-_2016-04-17.jpg/170px-Alex_Chinneck_-_A_bullet_from_a_shooting_star_-_2016-04-17.jpg)
A Bullet from a Shooting Star
- Anthony Gormley: Quantum Cloud Evoking the quantum age, and suggesting an unstable relation between energy and mass, it questions whether the body is produced by the field or the field by the body.[11]
- Gary Hume: Liberty Grip, a sculpture in bronze on a monumental scale, alluding to traditional commemorative sculpture, in three sections modelled on the arm of a stone mannequin.[12]
- Richard Wilson: A Slice of Reality, Standing permanently on the foreshore of the Thames, this 21.34 m × 10.6 m × 8.84 m (70.0 ft × 34.8 ft × 29.0 ft) sculpture is a 1/8th slice of what was originally the Arco Trent sand dredger.[13]
- Thomson & Craighead: Here, this sculpture is a standard UK road sign displaying the 24,859-mile [40,007 km] distance around the earth back to its position.[14]
- Alex Chinneck: A Bullet from a Shooting Star, this 35-metre (115 ft) 15-tonne (15-long-ton; 17-short-ton) work takes the form of an upside down electricity pylon, balancing on its tip, leaning at a precarious angle.[15]
References[]
- ^ "The Line". Time Out London. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
- ^ McCabe, Katie (28 April 2020). "London's first public art walk The Line goes online". Time Out London. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
- ^ "Weekend Walks: The Line Sculptural Trail". Londonist. 2015-06-03. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
- ^ "Walk The Line: East London's Sculpture Park". Culture Whisper. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
- ^ "Anish Kapoor". The Line. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- ^ "Carsten Höller". The Line. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- ^ "Thomas J Price – The Line – London's Public Art Walk". The Line. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- ^ "Abigail Fallis". The Line. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- ^ "Joanna Rajkowska". The Line. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- ^ "Laura Ford – Bird Boy – Royal Victoria Docks – The Line London". The Line. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- ^ "Antony Gormley – The Line – London's first art trail". The Line. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- ^ "Gary Hume". The Line. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- ^ "Richard Wilson". The Line. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- ^ "Thomson & Craighead". The Line. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- ^ "Alex Chinneck". The Line. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
External links[]
Categories:
- Art exhibitions in London
- Footpaths in London
- 2015 establishments
- British art
- Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in the United Kingdom
- Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Newham
- Tourist attractions in the Royal Borough of Greenwich