Bone, Soot and Oil
by Lubna Chowdhary, commissioned by Tideway
Artist Lubna Chowdhary was commissioned by Tideway to create an artwork for Earl Pumping Station.
The heritage theme for the East section of the tunnel, The Shipping Parishes – Gateway to the World, framed the site-specific narrative for Earl Pumping Station. This narrative relates to its proximity to Greenland Dock, formerly known as Howland Great Wet Dock, one of the earliest enclosed docks in the historic Port of London.
Constructed between 1695 and 1699 and later expanded in the early 20th century, the dock originally served as a refitting site for East India Company merchant ships. By the early 18th century, it became the primary berth and processing plant for London’s Arctic whaling fleet, which operated off the Atlantic coasts of Norway and Greenland. Whaling was a key economic activity from the 16th to the 19th centuries, initially sanctioned under a charter by Elizabeth I. The Port of London’s whaling fleet played a major role in the commercial exploitation of cetacean resources. However, overexploitation and the emergence of chemical and petrochemical alternatives caused the industry’s decline in the early 19th century. This history offered an opportunity for Lubna to reflect on the ecological and cultural impact of industrial marine exploitation.
In response to the Heritage Interpretation Strategy (HIS), Lubna developed an artwork inspired by engraved scrimshaw marks on whalebone and the striations on the underside of whales – both referencing the whaling trade once carried out in nearby Greenland Dock.
The artwork features a two-metre-high band of lines CNC-cut into light-coloured glazed panels, exposing the stone surface beneath and creating a striking pattern of black striations around the elliptical shaft structure. Designed to be visible from all angles, the band encircles the entire shaft, engaging with both the street and surrounding developments, both existing and future.
Bone, Soot and Oil makes a strong visual impact on the streetscape. Lubna, known for her expertise in ceramics, has created a balanced response that references the HIS while remaining sympathetic to the surrounding environment. The piece also subtly acknowledges the presence of the river at this more secluded site, integrating seamlessly into the streetscape. The artist worked closely with the architects, quarry and installers to ensure that the artwork was not merely applied to the shaft but fully integrated into its design.
The artist has said: The intersections of diverse processes and materials have always interested me and here, many natural translations between the historical craft of scrimshaw and contemporary materials and technological processes enabled me to realise this ambitious project with the support of architects and engineers on the Tideway team.
