Long-time London resident and avid museum and theatre-goer. I started this blog in 2014, and got serious about it in 2020 when I realised how much I missed arts and culture during lockdowns. I go to a lot more events than anyone would think is sensible, and love sharing my thoughts in the forms of reviews, the occasional thought piece, and travel recommendations when I leave my London HQ.
The Line (London’s Public Art Walk) Part I – North Greenwich Peninsula
5 mins
An illustrated walk along the North Greenwich section of The Line. While the full art walk probably can’t be done at once under current guidelines, the section around the North Greenwich peninsula contains plenty of interest for a socially-distanced outing.
Richard Wilson’s A Slice of Reality, looking across to the Isle of Dogs.
London’s First Public Art Walk
The Line describes itself on its website as London’s first public art walk. Megan Piper and Clive Dutton founded it in 2014, and it now stretches through three London boroughs (Newham, Tower Hamlets and Greenwich). The starting point as of 2020 is London’s Olympic Park, more specifically Anish Kapoor’s ArcelorMittal Orbit. The Line’s other end is on the North Greenwich peninsula, near the O2.
Along the length of The Line, it’s possible to see a mixture of permanent public art, and temporary installations. Upcoming artists will include Madge Gill (in enlarged reproduction form), Rana Begum and Yinka Ilori. Some of what is on offer are specific commissions; the map, app and description of The Line also draw attention to public artworks from other sources. The Greater London Authority commissioned Kapoor’s work, for example, to coincide with the 2012 Olympic Games. The map also comes with heritage and nature layers (and a cafe layer for when cafes are open). It’s a good way to engage with the area in different ways.
Under current government guidelines, it’s not possible to follow the end to end route of The Line. This would involve using public transport twice: the DLR from Star Lane to Royal Victoria, and the Emirates Air Line between Royal Victoria and North Greenwich. However, the two ends of The Line are at the furthest reaches of my local exercise range; I am guiding you through the North Greenwich section today, and hopefully the northernmost section at another time.
The Line – North Greenwich Peninsula
The first artwork on today’s walk is one which you can enjoy from wherever you are reading this. Larry Achiampong’s Sanko-time (2020) is an audio work designed to be listened to as you travel over the river on the Emirates Air Line. It is also available here. Achiampong combines music and sounds recorded in London and Accra, Ghana, with audio clips related to the history of racial inequality and enslavement that underpinned the British Empire, including its booming maritime trade in the Docklands. The story, in other words, of “…how Britain changed the world through industrial, cultural and maritime military expansion.”
Antony Gormley, Quantum Cloud, 2000. Over 3,500 pieces come together to form a human field (staple of Gormley’s work) within a cloud-like form. There’s a relationship to quantum physics, but mainly it is fascinating to look at. I particularly liked the contrast between the natural reedbeds and the angular man-made shapes.
Gary Hume, Liberty Grip, 2008. Believe it or not, the shape is actually that of three mannequin arms joined together. The human form somewhere between representation and abstraction, as the website puts it.
Richard Wilson, A Slice of Reality, 2000. This is a 1/8 slice of the Arco Trent, formerly an ocean-going sand dredger. The idea is that it references Greenwich’s maritime history, and the way the meridian line slices through the peninsula. A handful of pigeons were thoroughly enjoying exploring the interior of the ship when I saw it.
Thomson & Craighead, Here, 2013. 24,859 miles happens to be the distance around the globe and back to this point. The work is aligned on a North/South axis and on the Greenwich Meridian. Right here, on a sunny morning, was just where I wanted to be.
Alex Chinneck, A Bullet From a Shooting Star, 2015. This final sculpture on our walk takes the form of an upended electricity pylon. The Greenwich Peninsula was once home to the largest gas and oil works in Europe, a fact referenced by this work.
Looking Outside The Line
As I mentioned before, The Line’s map and website also provide information about the natural landscape. The North Greenwich Peninsula looks a little different than most of the Thames in Central London. The banks extend much further, with different levels designed to support different ecosystems. As well as encouraging biodiversity, this structure prevents erosion. It’s not possible to do the same through most of Central London, but this is interestingly different.
Just a word of caution to finish. If you do as I did and walk to Maze Hill/Greenwich after finishing The Line, be aware that this route will take you through rather a desolate industrial area. It was fine when I walked through and quite interesting seeing the old Blackwall Tunnel entrance, but solo walkers, particularly women, should make decisions accordingly. The better ‘out of hours’ option might be to return to North Greenwich and admire all the art again along the way!
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One thought on “The Line (London’s Public Art Walk) Part I – North Greenwich Peninsula”
One thought on “The Line (London’s Public Art Walk) Part I – North Greenwich Peninsula”