Multi-disciplinary artist Yinka Ilori transforms riverside boardwalk at Fulham pier with immersive public artwork.
5 JUNE, 2025, LONDON - Acclaimed British-Nigerian artist and designer Yinka Ilori MBE unveils a
major new public installation at Fulham Pier, marking a bold new chapter in the area’s cultural narrative.
Titled 100 Found Objects, Ilori’s evocative artwork celebrates the stories past and present that shape
Fulham’s identity and communities. Drawing inspiration from objects found in and around Fulham as well
Fulham’s local flora and fauna, 100 Found Objects represents a fountain of history and vessels for
stories and hidden pasts that Ilori reframes through a contemporary lens.
Fulham Pier is London’s most exciting new destination, bringing a vibrant mix of dining, entertainment
and cultural activity to the backdrop of the iconic River Thames. The installation spans the full length of
Fulham Pier with key elements located at the Hammersmith and Putney entrances, on the building’s
façade, as well as along the glass balustrades framing the new boardwalk overlooking the Thames. The
artwork includes lenticular panels that shift and move with the viewer’s perspective, with a 3D element
bringing to life the objects within a floral landscape inspired by Fulham’s rich heritage of craftsmanship
and cultivation.
In transforming the setting of Fulham Pier into a canvas for contemplation and discovery, Ilori adopted a
revisionist approach, inspired by the tradition of mudlarking and scavenging the riverbanks for items
previously assumed lost. Among these unearthed objects were intricately crafted pipes, broken jugs, and
fragments - all representative of heritage, craftsmanship and community. This plethora of items forming
part of 100 Found Objects, is to inspire visitors to delve deeper and consider both the cultural and
historical significance they carry.
In addition, rich botanical references have been interwoven with the found objects - which Ilori has
layered throughout the composition, drawing inspiration from Fulham’s floral culture. A key inspiration
was the Walled Garden of Fulham Palace, which houses the pioneering horticultural work of Mary
Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort (1630-1715). As an early female botanist, Somerset cultivated an
extraordinary range of plants, including the ‘blue passionflower’
- symbolic and reflective of Fulham’s
long-standing passion for horticulture. A Delftware plate with its floral application (dated 1686-1701),
originally a symbol of wealth and status has been reimagined to embody today’s values of community
exchange, mutual support, and human connection - replacing materialism with shared experience.