Is that a whale's tail on the wall at Stratford station? Yes it is.
What's it doing there? It's art.
Who's it by? Ahmet Öğüt.
That's a lot of consecutive accents! He's Turkish.
Where's the artwork? Above Petit Pret, on the mezzanine beside the DLR entrance.
What's the artwork called? Saved by the Whale's Tail, Saved by Art.
You what? In 2020 an empty metro train in Rotterdam overshot the buffers at an elevated terminus, and would have plummeted into the canal below except it ended up safely supported on top of a whale's tail artwork installed at the station 14 years earlier and the train driver walked away with no injuries.
Oh I remember that! It was brieflyquitememorable.
So Öğüt is remembering the whale? Partly, but more exploring the role art plays in everyday life and whether art can cause transformation rather than just represent it.
It's never simple with Art on the Underground is it? They love a verbose rationale.
Specifically? "For Öğüt this surreal and poetic moment became a powerful metaphor for how art - often dismissed as decorative or superfluous - can, quite literally and figuratively, be lifesaving."
Blimey! I know, right?
Is there more to it? Earlier this year Öğüt asked the public for real-life stories about times when art has saved, transformed, or reshaped lives.
Who won? A doctor called Helen Whitley with her story ‘The Bracelet’.
Where can I read her story? It's on the wall beside the DLR entrance.
Anywhere else? It's at the end of the TfL press release.
Anywhere else? It's in a snazzy booklet freely available in a rack downstairs on the lower concourse, along with the runners-ups' stories and a full colour fold-out whale's tail.
Looks expensive! Art on the Underground certainly have a decent budget.
What if I'm not going to Stratford any time soon? You can download the booklet here.
How long's it here for? The artwork's up until the end of next year.
If a DLR train ever overshot platform 4B, would it hit the whale? Yes, but the painting wouldn't save anyone's life.
It does look mighty impressive though! Totally dominates the concourse.
Thanks Ahmet! Swish swish!
