New York now has its High Line, and may well have its Low Line by 2018; London will have The Line, a walking trail of international-quality contemporary sculpture which will open later in the year along a route that broadly follows the line of the Meridian, linking the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the O2, which is housed in the former Millennium Dome. The Line is the brainchild of Megan Piper and Clive Dutton who in in February 2014 launched an ambitious crowdfunding campaign and successfully raised over £140,000 in less than eight weeks to fund the project. Proposals have been sought from artists, galleries and collections for works to be selected by an independent panel, which will be on loan for two years with new works introduced every year.
The first series of sculptures have been announced and will include works by well-known artists such as Martin Creed, Damien Hurst, Gary Hume, and Eduardo Paolozzi.
Meanwhile, not far away, the 2014 Sculpture in the City programme has created a string of contemporary sculptures in and around the Square Mile of London. A giant keyhole, a woman struggling against the wind, a ceiling of flying books and illuminated neon phrases are among the sculptures which bring a touch of humour and colour to compliment the sculptural forms of modern buildings designed by Norman Foster, Richard Rogers and others, plus the historic Leadenhall Market. In its fourth year, this year’s programme includes artists Cerith Wyn Evans, Lynn Chadwick, Ben Long, Julian Wild, Nigel Hall, Paul Hosking, Peter Randall-Page, Antony Gormley, Jim Lambie and Richard Wentworth. .
Walk a little to the north west past Liverpool Station and there are more contemporary public sculptures throughout the Broadgate development. “Creative, confident and cosmopolitan, these modern masterpieces are accessible to all.”
As the occupants of the insurance companies, banks and financial institutions rush around the City, do they realise what a rich display of international contemporary public art they are fortunate to have around them that effectively creates an urban sculpture park?
