My first trip to Wapping

London really is (and perhaps always will be) an unknown entity to me. No matter how much I try to explore, there are always new places to go and new things to see. My mind boggles! I suppose it is the nature of a big city with a dynamic cultural scene, and you can't be expected to know every little things that's on offer, so I shouldn't take it to heart.

So another new discovery for me this week was Wapping. Who would have thought that a stone's throw from Canary wharf and the rest of the imposing City skyline is a little haven in the form of the canal basin in Wapping. I think it's beauty was enhanced somewhat for me by the gorgeous weather, the peaceful birdsong and the fact that there was a raucous sailing lesson going on. The shouts of excitement of the enthusiastic young sailors was slightly infectious, and to see them happily splashing around in little Pico's - the boat in which I learned to sail - added some pleasant nostalgia to the appeal of the scene.

After cooing over some fearless ducklings learning to swim in the sleek green waters of the canal, we moved onwards, as we were really there to visit the Wapping Project - an imposing reminder of the former life that Wapping led as a maritime hub before its decline in the 19th century.
The Wapping Project is a rejuvenated hydraulic power station, with many of the pipes, pulleys, hooks and other paraphernalia that were once in use still hanging in their original places, adding to the maritime and industrial feel while simultaneously managing to look like modern art. And art it is I suppose, as aesthetics are key here and art is the order of the day, (as well as food and drink judging by how packed out the restaurant was by 7pm). The feel is glamour meets industrialism, and it works a treat.

Not knowing what I was coming to the Wapping Project for it all seemed rather mysterious as, having paid our five pounds, we were ushered through a door into a darkened room, atmospherically lit and inhabited by a solitary boat and its boatman. The former boiler room has been flooded by the fire brigade for this particular installation, and the results are very effective. Lit only by a line of light-bulbs set just above the water level so as to double their warm glow with their own reflection, the old boiler room was transformed into an inviting chamber of intrigue. Dominating the space is the main attraction, a huge inverted dome of white silk worn by the glowing blue torso of a mannequin lighting it eerily from below.

We exchanged our shoes for wellies and hopped into the boat (in my case very unelegantly) and the boatman pushed us off and gently rowed us around the room, allowing us to see the structure from all angles. It was a peaceful experience and eerie too, as the atmospheric music and the stoic silence of the boatman made it all rather mysterious. The clear reflection of the dress in the water was occasionally disturbed by the ripples from the oar and the boat's smooth movement. 

Waves are key to this installation - suitably titled Yohji Making Waves -  as the dress is in fact one of the designer Yohji Yamamoto's famed wedding dresses, set up in this way to portray how his designs diverged from the conventional fashion lines, thus making waves among his contemporaries in the fashion world.

Despite not knowing all these details before I experienced it, the overall effect was awing all the same, and I came out feeling soothed in some way, as well as intrigued to know more about the background. I don't think it mattered that I went in without prior knowledge because the installation is powerful enough alone to make its own statement. The Wapping Project is definitely worth a visit, even if just to have a drink at the funky wine bar. And I definitely intend on returning to Wapping for a proper explore as the history of the place sounds pretty fascinating - smugglers and executions and all.