Saved by the Whale's Tail, Saved by Art

Saved by the Whale's Tail, Saved by Art

2025

Public art project, mixed media installation, poster campaignm painting and an award trophy

Commissioned by Art on the Underground in collaboration with New Contemporaries

This project is generously supported by Reed and the Henry Moore Foundation

Images: GG Achard

“Saved by the Whale’s Tail, Saved by Art” is a large-scale artwork in London commissioned by Art on the Underground in collaboration with New Contemporaries. It’s inspired by an incident that occurred in 2020 when a train on the Rotterdam Metro overran the stop blocks at a station located on an elevated metro line. A carriage, at risk of falling into the water beneath, was ‘saved’ by a 10-metre high public art sculpture of a whale’s tail, which prevented its fall. Taking this as a base story, the campaign initiatied the following questions to the public; Can art save lives? Have you witnessed art saving a life?

In April 2025, a call was issued out to the public for real-life stories from across the UK about times when art has saved, transformed, or reshaped lives. Out of hundreds of submissions, Helen Whitley’s story ‘The Bracelet’ was selected as winner. We feature in Helen’s story as part of my new installation at Stratford. It also has been printed alongside other stories in a special publication available for free at Stratford station. A bronz sculpture akin to an award trophy which will be awarded to Helen Whitley.

download the brochure here

Out of hundreds of submissions, Helen Whitley’s story ‘The Bracelet’ was selected as winner. We feature in Helen’s story as part of my new installation at Stratford. It also has been printed alongside other stories in a special publication available for free at Stratford station. I handed over the bronze sculpture to Helen as an award trophy.

Neelis van der Holst, a traveler from Spijkenisse, was unexpectedly greeted by posters in the London Underground that echoed the familiar whale tails of his hometown. Recognizing Ahmet Öğüt’s artwork instantly, he made his way to Stratford, where he not only encountered the installation but also received a tote bag, flyers, and a pin from the Art on the Underground team—small tokens of the moment. On his way to the airport, Neelis carried these mementos with him, later placing them beside the actual whale tails back home and capturing photographs that wove past and present together: the 2020 accident he had witnessed and documented, the sculpture itself, and Öğüt’s new work. With warmth and serendipity, he shared these images with the artist, celebrating the joy of their unexpected connection.

Photo by Neelis van der Holst, Spijkenisse, The Netherlands, 2020