Thames Barrier Park mural: call for proposals

Timeline

All dates are for 2026.

• 28th January, 10am: Q&A session online sign up here
• 3rd February, 2pm: Q&A session on site at With Milk RSVP here
• 9th February, 10am: Deadline for applications
• Start of March: Artist selected and all applicants informed of the decision
• March: Design development, including artist collaboration with local communities and/ or park users
• 3rd April: Final design submitted for approval and planning permission (approvals and planning permissions are managed by RDT)
• June (once permissions are approved): Install of final work
• July: Launch event with local communities

The timeline is open to small changes if, for example, you would like longer to work with a specific community and/ or the design allows for a less rigorous planning application.

We’re looking for an artwork that will be in place as long as possible, but ideally as a minimum of 3 years without needing any major maintenance.

Budget

We have a maximum budget of £19,000 for an artist(s) to design and deliver this work.

There is some flexibility in how this budget is used, but below is an indicative breakdown

• £5,000: Artist fee to design the work, including social engagement time

• £13,000: Production costs for delivering and installing the work

• £500: Towards hospitality and materials for the social engagement

• £500: Towards artists’ overheads including insurances

In addition, we will cover any costs associated with site-specific permissions and licenses, a small launch event and some photographic documentation.

Access provision will be given for the artist(s) selected.

Social Engagement

We want the artwork to have a strong connection with Thames Barrier Park and the local people who use it. This means that we’d like artists who apply for this commission to have a strong connection with the area and/ or are willing to make a strong connection with the people here.

We’re not looking for community engagement to be an ‘add-on’ to this artwork, nor are we looking for the community to physically deliver this work for an artist. We’re looking for artists and concepts that embed social engagement into the process of designing the artwork, so that there is a deep connection between the artwork, the place, and the people there.

You may know some groups you’d like to work with already or want to find people for yourself through the artwork design concept.

We are happy to facilitate introductions to local businesses and groups that we know. Some example local businesses and groups include:

• With Milk, who run the café in the park pavilion

• West Silvertown Foundation

• Royal Wharf Community Docks

• Local residents’ associations

• Local schools, which include Oasis Academy, Royal Wharf and Britannia Village

• Waymaker kids

• Reinstate

How do I apply?

You can email a written application of two sides of A4 (max) or a 5 minute audio/ video answering the following questions:

• Your previous artworks and experience in delivering similar kinds of artworks. It would be great for us to see links to images or videos of this previous work.

• Your connection to Thames Barrier Park and/ or its people.

• What your concept is for this particular commission

• In this concept, how would you work with local communities and/ or people who use the park?

• In this concept, how would the finished piece welcome people to Thames Barrier Park/ indicate that the park is here?

You can email your submission to royaldocks@london.gov.uk.

Please note extended deadline: Monday 9th February, 10am.

Support with application

We are committed to making our application process as accessible as possible and welcome proposals in written, audio or video formats. We encourage applications from artists and collectives. If you require any assistance with your application, please contact us.

We’ll be running two Q&A sessions if you have any more general questions or want to hear more from us about the process and context of this commission:

• 28th January, 10am: Q&A session online sign up here
• 3rd February, 2pm: Q&A session on site at With Milk RSVP here

Selection Process
The artist for this commission will be selected by a mix of Royal Docks Team members and people from the local community.

At a first longlisting stage, 2 - 3 of Royal Docks Team members will select around 10 -12 applications to go to wider panel. This selection will be made by assessing:

• Is there a clear idea?
• Does the idea connect with the local community?
• Does the idea connect with Thames Barrier Park as a place?
• Does it help the public better locate Thames Barrier Park?
• Is there evidence that the artist can deliver this project to scale, time, and budget?

The final panel will be made of 2 - 3 different people from the Royal Docks Team (including senior management), and 3 - 5 people from the local community, including local residents, businesses and schools. This panel will make their final decision by assessing:

• What do they think of the idea?
• What do they think of how it connects with the local community?
• What do they think of how it connects with Thames Barrier Park as a place
• What do they think of it as a way for people to better find Thames Barrier Park
• Does it seem realistic as a proposal?
• What do they think of the artists’ previous work
• An offer will be made to the selected artist and once that artist accepts, we contact all applicants. Specific feedback will be offered to artists longlisted, and broader feedback will be offered to all other applicants. We aim to contact all applicants by the start of March 2026.

Case Studies
Some examples of previous socially-engaged artworks we’ve done in the Royal Docks include:

Graphic Rewilding’s Blue Sunset (2025), curated by Hive Curates with RDT for the Royal Docks Originals festival, situated on the Pump House building by Royal Victoria DLR. Catherine and Lee from Graphic Rewilding asked local residents about their favourite flowers and what reminded them of home. They did this through postcard drops, through visiting nearby schools and libraries, and through asking people on the streets nearby. The stories collected formed the design of a vibrant bouquet of flowers that was installed via vinyl application onto the Pump House wall. These community contributions helped inform the mural’s design, reflecting the community’s cultural connections, emotions, and personal associations with nature. The artwork aims to uplift and inspire by harnessing the calming, mood-boosting power of nature, making the mural a vibrant visual landmark and a source of everyday positivity.

Jessie Brennan’s Custom House Is Our House, commissioned by UP Projects for RDT, is on Freemasons Road by Custom House station. Installed on a two-storey wall facing Custom House station, this artwork brings together individuals who live, work and own businesses on Freemasons Road, which is soon-to-be redeveloped. The life-sized group portrait was printed on paper then half crumpled to give the impression of a crushed building, highlighting the changes approaching the area. In the foreground residents hold up the words ‘Our House,’ indicating the strength of the communities here. The artwork has been closely developed with members of the People’s Empowerment Alliance for Custom House (PEACH), established in 2013 with the intention of improving jobs, housing, safety and health in the area.

FAQs

I’m not an artist but I want to know more about this project. Who can I speak to?
People from the local community can find out more on our Newham Co-Create page, where you can also submit questions directly to the Royal Docks Team. Alternatively you can contact the Royal Docks public art producer Cat Harrison (she/her) via royaldocks@london.gov.uk

I’m from the local community and/ or I’m a park user and I’d like to get involved. How can I do this?
This is great news! We’d love to connect. Please contact the Royal Docks public art producer Cat Harrison (she/her) via royaldocks@london.gov.uk and we can discuss how you can best be involved. For example, this could be as part of the selection panel and/ or to work with the selected artist on the design?

How will the artist/ artwork be selected?
There will be a selection panel made up of the Royal Docks Team and local people linked to Thames Barrier Park and the surrounding area. When we have everyone confirmed we will announce this on the Newham Co-Create page.

I am an artist with specific access needs, and I will need support to make an application. Can you provide me with this support?
We want to encourage artists to apply from all backgrounds and experiences, and we will do our best to tailor our support to your individual needs. Please contact Royal Docks public art producer Cat Harrison (she/her) via royaldocks@london.gov.uk and we can discuss the best way we can support you to make an application. Please do this by 24th January latest, so we have time to get back to you and get this in place before the deadline.

What are the measurements of the wall?

Alex and I took our tape measure to the wall yesterday to get the basic measurements, whilst we wait for the elevation drawings to come through. Measurements are:

• Staircase wall: LENGTH 16.3m x HEIGHT 6.8m at longest points, then cascades down
• Optional lower path wall: LENGTH 21m to the start of the vines x 6.8m at highest point

I’ve attached really rough sketches to try to explain this visually (done in haste, not my best work! But hopefully helpful)

Can the design use the wall on the other side of the staircase steps? (I.e. the part of the staircase that can also be seen from Pontoon Dock)

Yes, but please note the handrails and steps will need to remain as they are.

Will the artist have to clean or fix the wall?

No, the Royal Docks Team will manage this ahead of the install, to the artists’ needs. This includes the removal of the current signs fixed into the staircase wall.

Can my design incorporate the green electrical box at the front?

Yes, the design can extend onto the green electrical box. There is some low level shrubbery in front of the staircase wall too, that can be replanted after the artwork installation.

Do I need to use the words “THAMES BARRIER PARK” in the design?

The artwork needs to very clearly show people that the park is here, so one obvious way would be to include the words THAMES BARRIER PARK. But you may have other ideas on how this wayfinding element can be shown clearly in your design, and we’re open to hearing these.

Do I need to know/ be part of the communities I want to work with?

You don’t need to know directly the communities that you want to work with, but you do need to clearly identify which communities you want to work with and why it is important to your concept. For example, are they people who use the park in a specific way? People who meet in/ around the park? Existing communities and/ or new communities to the area? People with specific characteristics that are important to your process? We can help you find these people/ groups if you don’t have existing links, but we do want to clearly understand why and how you’re working with these particular people in the design of your artwork.

Does the artwork have to be painted?

No, it can be other forms, but please be aware that the budget is limited to £19,000, which needs to include artist fees, fabrication of the piece and installation.

Do I need to be local to Newham to apply?

No, but we are ideally looking for artists who have a special connection to the area, so it may be that you’ve lived here in the past or you regularly use the park or have some other specific connection to the people who live here.

Do I need to include a budget in the application?

It is not required, but if it helps show the story of your concept, ambition and/ or practical delivery of the artwork, then that’s great.

Should I include images in my application?

Yes please, anything that shows the panel the type of work you’ve made before and/ or aesthetic you’re driving towards in your application is really useful. We’d suggest a maximum of 5 images should be enough to do this.

Can I apply even if I’ve not worked to this scale before?

Yes, that’s absolutely fine and we have experienced producers working with the artist(s) to help realise the project. However it would be great to hear in your application how you are confident you can make your idea work to the budget and rough timescale.

Please note the extended deadline for applications is now Monday 9^th February, 10am.

More info and links

• Thames Barrier Park is a 7-hectare green space located in the Royal Docks - an area in the London Borough of Newham. The park is managed by the Greater London Authority. Opened in November 2000 it was London’s largest new riverside park for over 50 years. There is abundant wildlife and picnic and children’s play areas, a basketball court, visitor pavilion and coffee shop with views of the river and Thames Barrier. Thames Barrier Park was designed by landscape architect Allain Provost (Groupe Signes) of Paris and architects Patel Taylor of London. Remarkably, the park was created on a site that once housed petrochemical and acid works on the Thames riverbank. The contaminated soil was covered with a 6 foot layer of crushed concrete to protect the new soil laid on top. Since its opening the park has won design awards in the UK and USA.
• The Royal Docks Team is a multi-disciplinary team that brings together officers from across the Greater London Authority, the London Borough of Newham and the London Economic Action Partnership. Home to London’s only Enterprise Zone, the Royal Docks is one of the most significant regeneration projects in the UK. The team was established in 2017 to help deliver the cohesive transformation of the Royal Docks into a vibrant, mixed-use destination with culture and community at it's heart.
• The Royal Docks Corridor project, led by Newham Council and the Royal Docks Team, has been bringing major improvements to Silvertown Way and North Woolwich Road between Canning Town and Connaught Bridge, including a full overhaul of the square outside Pontoon Dock station. This work has included enhancing road layouts, improving the public realm, and creating dedicated cycle paths, helping to make Newham a cleaner, greener, and more accessible borough.

Any other questions? Email us