The Line
Project Details
Name: The Line
Category: Arts and Culture
Location: London, United Kingdom
Project Submission
The Line is London’s first dedicated art walk. Connecting three boroughs (Newham, Tower Hamlets and Greenwich) and following the Meridian, it runs between the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford and The O2 in Greenwich. It creates a destination and experience for visitors and local residents alike. The Line strives to be an outdoor museum offering an evolving programme of art installations, events and landmarks, illuminating an inspiring landscape where everyone can explore art, nature and heritage.
The Line is located in one of the largest areas of redevelopment and regeneration in Europe. New property developments are underway along the length of its route, which continue to bring the potential for new partnerships and new investment for The Line. The route passes through three of the poorest boroughs in the UK and The Line is establishing programmes with schools and community groups to promote the learning, health and wellbeing benefits of the project.
The Line was established by art entrepreneur Megan Piper and the late regeneration expert Clive Dutton OBE. It launched in 2015, unveiling monumental sculptures along the footpaths of East London’s waterways. These works had previously been hidden away from public view, in storage or private collections. Since then, through the generous support of sponsors and patrons, The Line has introduced major, museum- quality works of art by leading artists to hundreds of thousands of local residents and visitors for free.
The Line currently includes eleven artworks (as of April 2020). The majority of these are loans from artists, galleries and private collections but The Line also highlights a number of pre- existing works along the route, including Antony Gormley’s Quantum Cloud. The inaugural loans, which included Damien Hirst, Abigail Fallis and Thomas J Price, came through an open submission and were selected by a panel that included Turner Prize winning artist Mark Wallinger.Through the installation of artworks along The Line, a network of partnerships and collaborations has evolved over the last five years. There is strong, local support and multiple organisations are keen to forge new relationships with The Line – a number of exciting partnerships will launch in 2020 and The Line aims to become the cultural backbone for East London.