Join the Docks this November: get involved from the comfort of your own home

Join the Docks this November: get involved from the comfort of your own home

This November there’s so much to join in with online as part of our Join the Docks autumn programme! All you need to get started is a phone, tablet or computer and a connection to the internet.

Dive right into creative, original online activities you can experience now, or on specific dates this November:

Express yourself through craft by making your very own zine at home. Use digital design tools or break out the paper, pens and paint to create something you can hold for Message in a Bottle by Queer Zine Library and Queer Newham. Submit your zine by the 23 November to have your own little creation included in an online zine exhibition which will be available to view from December. Discover more about Message in a Bottle and learn how to submit your own pieces.

Check out atmospheric imagery and engaging stories with DOCK LANDS PEOPLE by Michele Turriani and Trinity Art Gallery. Read articles about the diverse characters, architectural structures and heritage within the Royal Docks and take in stunning photography of the people that work and live in the surrounding areas.

Dig out some old family memories. Decluttering during lockdown? Going through old boxes and finding some amazing memories of growing up in the Royal Docks? The Museum of Youth Culture want to hear from you for Grown up in the Docks, a new community archiving project which aims to document 100 years of being young in the Royal Docks. Got a story, pictures or more to share with this project?

Read stories from Royal Docks community members who use the dock water for work and pleasure with blog-based project Dock Tales by local journalist Momtaz Begum-Hossain. Interviews will be unveiled weekly on the Royal Docks website throughout November and Momtaz will hold an online Q&A for everyone to get involved with at the end of the month. Learn more.

Immerse yourself in the sounds of the Royal Docks with new audio-visual experience Drum & Docks, presented by Addictive TV. This video installation follows local drummers playing the architecture around the Royal Docks. From railings and walls to landmarks like the SS Robin and the Royal Albert pumping station, this is a unique experience you won’t want to miss! Drum & Docks is available to watch now!

Watch Untethered, a new solo piece created by east London hip hop dance theatre company Boy Blue and filmed in the historic Millennium Mills earlier this year. Untethered explores how the structures that inform how we live our lives haven’t been updated while individuals and sub-cultures have changed and evolved in order to be relevant. This film is commissioned by the Royal Docks Team and is available to watch online for free now.

This year, Join the Docks presents 20 original projects and events taking place between October and December, all inspired by the people and places that make up the Royal Docks. The programme has been curated to surprise, inspire, and engage audiences in Newham, and across London, the UK and beyond, as some activities are taking place online.

Join the Docks Autumn Programme has creative innovation at its core. Due to COVID-19, organisers have been inventive with their ideas, making for an engaging programme that can be experienced in person or online / digitally.

Find out more about everything taking place this year, here.