LONDON.- A selection of sculptures from a host of distinguished artists including Damien Hirst, Martin Creed, Gary Hume and Eduardo Paolozzi, were unveiled this spring on The Line, a new walk linking The O2 and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The key aim of The Line is to bring high-quality artworks out of warehouses and into the public realm so they can be enjoyed by as many people as possible.

The artworks have been placed around The O2, the Royal Docks and along the River Lea and canals. Visitors will be able to join The Line at any point along the route to explore the three miles of waterways. The Royal Docks and The O2 are linked by the Emirates Air Line cable car, which offers extraordinary views of the city from London’s highest observational platform directly above the Thames.

The Line is being led by urban regeneration expert Clive Dutton OBE and contemporary art dealer Megan Piper, with support from award-winning architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. Renowned sculpture expert Carolyn Miner has recently joined the team as curator of the project.

Megan Piper, Founder and Director of The Line, said: “One of the greatest things about London is its ability to surprise. The Line will bring together great works of art and a largely undiscovered area of the city. The installed works will create a unique walk that will offer a new perspective on these waterways.”

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: “The Line is an exciting new public art project that will offer another reason to visit this increasingly important part of our city. Not only does it highlight London as a cultural capital, it will be a wonderfully creative wayfaring device, helping guide people exploring the route that is opening up from Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, through the Royal Docks and on to the Greenwich Peninsula.”

The works selected for The Line's inaugural year were part of an open submission. Artists, galleries and collections were invited to propose works for consideration by an independent panel.

The launch of The Line includes the following sculptures:

• Work No.700 by Martin Creed
• DNA DL90 by Abigail Fallis
• Sensation by Damien Hirst
• Liberty Grip by Gary Hume
• Vulcan by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi
• Network by Thomas J Price
• Consolidator #654321 by Sterling Ruby
• Here by Thomson & Craighead
•Untitled (The Thing) by Piotr Uklanski

Participating galleries include Hauser & Wirth, Gagosian, White Cube, Carroll / Fletcher and Pangolin London. All works are on loan to the project for two years and The Line’s ambition is to create a permanent outdoor exhibition space, with additional works continually introduced. The Line curator is working on plans for temporary projects and exhibitions.

The selection panel for the first works included Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Wallinger, Whitechapel Gallery curator Omar Kholeif, art collector and philanthropist Anita Zabludowicz, art critic Richard Cork, co-founder of The Line Megan Piper and local resident Simon Myers who founded Cody Dock – a community-led creative hub on the River Lea.

Co-Founder Clive Dutton OBE, added: “The Line will add a unique cultural element to the city that everyone will be able to enjoy – a sprinkling of magic to the already ambitious regeneration plans for East London. This is just the start. With everyone pulling together, there is no limit to what this artistic endeavour can realise.”