The Line is London’s first art walk which follows the general direction of the prime meridian line in East London. Opened in May 2015, The Line features a range of sculptures between the O2 Arena in North Greenwich and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. The Line features work from Antony Gormley, Gary Hume, Alex Chinneck, Richard Wilson and more, whilst boasting stunning views of the Docklands from a wide range of angles.
The route covers a distance of 5 miles (8km) and also requires a trip across the River Thames by the Emirates Air Lane between the Royal Docks and Greenwich Peninsula, which includes incredible views (so long as you have a good head for heights). Many of the sculptures along The Line are temporary, although sculptures such as Anish Kapoor’s Arcelor Mittal Orbit (2012) and Antony Gormley’s Quantum Cloud (2000) are permanent.
All the artwork can be found outdoors, although the full route does require travelling on the Emirates Air Line and one short DLR stop between Canning Town and Star Lane. However, The Line is extremely COVID safe, making it a great day trip with plenty of art to enjoy, whilst maintaining social distancing, and with the added bonus of plenty of free exercise too!
If you decide to travel northbound (Greenwich peninsula to Stratford), the route begins with Alex Chinneck’s ‘A Bullet From a Shooting Star’ (2015), which takes the form of an upside down electricity pylon, balancing on its tip. The following sculpture is a signpost by Thompson & Craighead entitled ‘Here’ (2013) which shows the distance you would have to travel in a straight line all around the world in order to return to the same place from which you started, (24,859 miles) cleverly, sited on the prime meridian at 0 degrees longitude. Richard Wilson’s ‘Slice of Reality’ (2000) is a one eighth slice of a ship (the Arco Trent), followed by Gary Hume’s ‘Liberty Grip’ (2008), depicting three different arms of oversized shop mannequins. The final sculpture on the Greenwich peninsula is Antony Gormley’s ‘Quantum Cloud’ (2000).
Further along the trail, you can find Laura Ford’s ‘Bird Boy (without a tail)’ (2011), Joanna Rajkowska’s ‘The Hatchling’ (2019), which is a giant blackbird’s egg, from the inside of which, sounds of hatching chicks can be heard. Abigail Fallis’ ‘DNA DL90’ (2003) is a tower of shopping trolleys arranged in the shape of a strand of DNA, and Thomas J Price’s sculpture, ‘Reaching Out’ (2020), depicting a young woman looking at her mobile phone. The walk ends in the Queen Elizabeth Park in Stratford with the final piece of art being Anish Kapoor’s ‘ArcelorMittal Orbit’ (2012), which is the UK’s tallest sculpture at 115 metres tall. Construction of the sculpture was completed in May 2012 in time for the Summer Olympics held in London, and has stood there ever since.
For more information on The Line, visit https://the-line.org/
