"It's a slightly odd bas-relief mural, as it looks almost as if it were moved here from somewhere else. The triangular design just doesn't seem quite right. Yet, when realising it was made in 1988, it suddenly seems perfect, as the colours and design are strongly reminiscent of artworks from the Docklands area. The triangular does give a decent frame for Father Thames in the middle, either wrestling with or supporting a menagerie of riparian residents."
"If a naked bearded man is a representation of the River Thames, what part of London would be his willy? Is the unexpected question you might think of when stumbling upon said naked man in Nine Elms. He is, of course, not a literal representation of the river, but an anthropomorphic personification of the river. This particular representation is a work of art by Stephen Duncan, and according to the small plaque underneath was commissioned by Regalian Properties in 1988."
A bas-relief mural in Nine Elms depicts an anthropomorphic River Thames as a naked bearded man with a clearly visible penis. The work carries a carved title of River God while an installed plaque names it Father Thames. The piece was created by Stephen Duncan and commissioned by Regalian Properties in 1988; Regalian Properties developed the neighboring block of flats. The triangular design and palette evoke Docklands-era public art and make the relief seem as if it had been moved from elsewhere. The composition places Father Thames centrally amid a menagerie of riparian creatures. The sculpture sits next to the Bourne Valley Wharf Pavilion, currently occupied by a Free Palestine protest group and numerous homeless tents.
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