Thames Barrier Park mural: call for proposals

Timeline

All dates are for 2026.

• 21st January, 10am: Q&A session online – please email royaldocks@london.gov.uk to get the joining link
• 27th January, 2pm: Q&A session on site at With Milk - please email royaldocks@london.gov.uk to let us know you’re coming
• 28th January, 10am: Q&A session online – please email royaldocks@london.gov.uk to get the joining link
• 4th February, 10am: Deadline for applications
• 27th February: 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

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 at royaldocks@london.gov

In your application we’d like you to explain (in any order):

• 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?

Please keep your proposal to about 2 sides of A4 or 5 minutes of audio/ video if possible.

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:

• 27th January, 2pm: Q&A session on site at With Milk - please email royaldocks@london.gov.uk to let us know you’re coming

• 28th January, 10am: Q&A session online – please email royaldocks@london.gov.uk to get the joining link

The deadline for applications is 10am on Wednesday 4th February 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.

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:

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:

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.

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.

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.