Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 25, 2026

A Slice of Reality

A Slice of Reality is a work of modern art by Richard Wilson sitting by the Millennium Dome on the north-western bank of the Greenwich Peninsula. It consists of a 9-metre (30 ft) sliced vertical section through the former 800-ton 60-metre (200 ft) sand dredger Arco Trent and exposes portions of the former living quarters of the vessel to the elements. The ship had been built at Appledore Shipbuilders in Devon in 1971 and scrapped in Middlesbrough in 1999.

Last revised
Jul 25, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
291 w
Citations
7
Source
Wikipedia ↗
A Slice of Reality
Slice of a ship
Map
ArtistRichard Wilson
Year2000 (2000)
MediumShip
Dimensions9 m (30 ft)
Location

A Slice of Reality is a work of modern art by Richard Wilson sitting by (and commissioned for) the Millennium Dome on the north-western bank of the Greenwich Peninsula.1 It consists of a 9-metre (30 ft)2 sliced vertical section through the former 800-ton3 60-metre (200 ft) sand dredger Arco Trent and exposes portions of the former living quarters of the vessel to the elements (such as a visible pool table in the lower decks).45 The ship had been built at Appledore Shipbuilders in Devon in 1971 and scrapped in Middlesbrough in 1999.6

The work is one of the sculptures on The Line art trail in East London. It was originally commissioned for the millennium "North Meadow Sculpture Project".7

These photographs were taken during Open House London 2015.

  • View from bow
    View from bow
  • View from starboard
    View from starboard
  • The weather deck
    The weather deck
  • The bridge
    The bridge
  • The poop deck
    The poop deck
  • Accommodation deck
    Accommodation deck
References

References

  1. Cole, Ina, ed. (2021). “From the Sculptor’s Studio”, conversation with Richard Wilson, held in 2019. Laurence King Publishing Ltd. p. 256-269. ISBN 9781913947590. OCLC 1420954826.
  2. 15% remaining of 60 m: "Arco Trent – Trailing suction hopper dredgers – Equipment". Dredging Database. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  3. "A Slice of Reality – IMO 7112383 – ShipSpotting.com – Ship Photos and Ship Tracker". Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  4. "Richard Wilson – A Slice of Reality". Archived from the original on 11 August 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  5. Mitchell, Bill; David Hornsby; Ken Bottoms (Summer 2010). "Solent Aggregate Dredgers" (PDF). Black Jack (155): 4. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
  6. "Arco Trent's reality check". Gloucestershire Transport History. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  7. "Richard Wilson". The Line. Retrieved 13 May 2022.