The Rising Tide: 'Underwater' sculpture unveiled on the banks of the Thames

Underwater eco-sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor has opened his first London show on the banks of the Thames. Entitled 'The Rising Tide', the installation features four proud working horses and their riders on the South Bank, which will be concealed and revealed by the tide each day.

The horse have petroleum pumps instead of snouts and artist deCaires Taylor told ITV News London the exhibition is about asking questions about our dependence on fossil fuels.

He stressed he did not want dictate what impression people take away, but hoped his work would raise some critical questions.

The installation consists of four figures - two businessmen and two small children. The businessmen astride the horses representing the position of power over resources, whilst the children depict the future generations that will live with the consequences of over consumption.

Part of the Totally Thames festival, it is fully visible from the riverside walkway for up to two hours either side of low tide.

The horses are based on shire horses, he said, like those previously used as workhorses in London, and the location of the sculptures - in the shadow of Westminster - is of critical importance.