A new permanent artwork has been unveiled at Greenwich Pumping Station, marking the latest addition to Tideway's major public art programme.  

Optical Flow, by celebrated artist Lubna Chowdhary, is installed on the façade of a newly-built ventilation kiosk at the site. 

The playful work – comprised of a large, two-metre vitreous enamel circular panel, part-hidden beneath deep steel fins – allows train passengers on the nearby DLR line, as well as pedestrians and cyclists using the adjacent Quietway, to see its shifting, fleeting shapes. 

The work is inspired by the area’s history of railway signage. The nearby railway viaduct is one of the oldest in the world, while the London & Greenwich Railway (built in 1836 to connect Greenwich to London Bridge) was the first build in London.  

Lubna said: “It’s wonderful to finally unveil this work. While the piece is situated outside the public access, its scale and colour mean it can be viewed and enjoyed by those passing by.  

“By placing the graphic white disc behind the protruding fins of the ventilation structure, a fortunate optical interplay occurs when it is viewed from the nearby DLR line. 

“The three elements together re-enact a simple visual device which playfully mimics the action of the first metropolitan railway signal.” 

Tideway has been using the site as part of the super sewer project for eight years. The work involved launching a tunnel boring machine to build a 4.5km connection tunnel linking Greenwich to the main tunnel, and intercepting a large sewer spill point.  

With work now complete, the Tideway team was joined by Cllr Antony Okereke, the leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and Woolwich, as well as Lubna herself, and Tideway’s Asset Ownership Director, Richard Lewis.  

Richard said: “We’ve always aimed for this project to leave a legacy beyond the environmental improvements it will bring. Lubna’s work is a fantastic example of how art can help embed infrastructure into the fabric of a place – linking the old and new, and celebrating the vital infrastructure beneath.”