Do you make or present creative work in the Royal Docks?

�This pack will give you information about Royal Docks Originals festival and artist opportunities.

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• What it is
• Artist Opportunities

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CONTENTS

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Section 1: About Royal Docks Originals

Section 2: Artist Opportunities

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SECTION 1:

What is Royal Docks Originals?

ROYAL DOCKS ORIGINALS FESTIVAL� �A new biennial festival from London’s Cultural Engine��

• Raising Royal Docks profile �as a unique cultural hub �
• Showcasing Royal Docks creatives

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• Engaging communities as participants

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• Launching Royal Docks cultural and creative traineeships

• Launching: late September and running �through Oct 2025

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• Festival hub at Royal Victoria Dock

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• Satellite venues at 8 Royal Docks �creative workspaces across the Docks

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• Sites branded with Royal Docks Originals �flags, marques and wayfinding

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WHERE WILL ROYAL DOCKS ORIGINALS TAKE PLACE?

SHAPE OF THE 2025 PROGRAMME

Partner projects�Demonstrating the range, scale and ambition of work in Royal Docks��Three Royal Docks commissions

• A large scale fire installation on Royal Docks water and land: telling stories of heritage and future through the stories and music of local people
• 3 new public art works around Royal Victoria Dock made with communities
• Residents’ oral histories manifest in a series of arts projects

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Creative workspaces showcase�Programmes at 8 Royal Docks creative hubs, providing a platform, profile and trading opportunities��

Digital activities and education projects. Delivering longevity and reach

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Traineeships . Act as a host organisation and help train a local creative workforce.

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FESTIVAL THEME: TRANSFORMATION

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Over 100 years ago, the Royal Docks played a pivotal role in London’s growth. Today it is shaping the city’s fortunes again as �a beacon of sustainable, inclusive and equitable growth

SECTION 2:

Artist Opportunities

WE WANT YOU TO BE INVOLVED!

Royal Docks Team and Hive Curates have a number of artist opportunities in the public realm that will celebrate the

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• 5 x £1k Live Series events �open to performance, sound and �digital artists
• 4 x £500 live performance fee - �open to visual artists or music
• A number of artist commissions of £5,000 for

visual artists to public artwork

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For more information visit: [insert link once published]

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LIVE SERIES

• 5 x £1k Live Series - open to performance, sound and digital artists
• 4 x £500 live performance fee - open to visual artists or musicians

�Are you a creative with a connection to Newham? Want to activate public space and celebrate community through a live event? Help us shape a Live Series as part of the Royal Docks Originals to take place at any time between 22 September and 6 October 2025.

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Hive Curates invite Newham-based artists, collectives and creatives to apply for a new series of live commissions as part of the Royal Docks Originals 2025 festival. We are looking to commission any form of artistic expression, whether in visual arts, sound, digital media, performance or spoken word. �

Apply here

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ARTIST

COMMISSIONS

• A number of artist commissions with a budget up to £5,000

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We are commissioning projects that will form a key part of the festival as site-specific or mobile artworks that bring people together in shared experience. These commissions are an invitation to consider how art can transform space, foster connection, and provoke new ways of relating to, inhabiting, or imagining the Royal Docks.��We are particularly interested in proposals that:

• Respond to the unique social, cultural or environmental landscape of the Royal Docks
• Involve local communities or participants in the making or delivery of the work
• Animate overlooked, transitional, or unconventional public spaces
• Engage with ideas of movement, change, renewal or adaptation

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Apply here [Link]

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POSSIBLE LOCATIONS

Art in the Docks

• A flexible arts space with a popular community programme

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• Previous work has included exhibitions, workshops and performance

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Cable Car

• Possible sites include the cars themselves, the terminals and the Cable Car Experience building on the south side.

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• Activities could include performance, audio installations, visual art and more

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The Corniche

• Several interconnected outdoor spaces, right by the Cable Car and Royal Victoria DLR�
• Site of the Royal Docks Market�
• Previous activity has included performance (Ensemble Festival, pictured), visual art, walkabout activities and workshops

Dock Beach

• Located next to City Hall and the Dock edge�
• Previous activities have included performance, art installations and workshops

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Expressway

• Spaces include the foyer and vacant units or meeting rooms�
• Work presented previously includes music performance, spoken word, exhibitions and workshops

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Floating Garden

• Located in Royal Victoria Dock​�
• Has previously hosted art installations. Could also work for small pop-up performances

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The Factory Project

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• Part of the Creative Workspace programme (see slide 6)�
• Multiple spaces across a large site�
• Previous activity has included theatre, music, workshops, installations

The Good Hotel

• Multiple spaces available, including the foyer, event spaces and roof�
• The foyer has hanging space for photography/visual art�
• Has previously hosted music performances, workshops, spoken word

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Thames Barrier Park �and Cafe

• An iconic, public park in the south of the Docks �
• Multiple areas to activate, including the event lawn, cafe, Remembrance pavilion, and stage�
• Previous activity has included performance, art installations, audio tours and more

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Sweheat Sauna

• Located in Royal Victoria Dock​�
• Sweheat run an ongoing programme of wellbeing and creative activities, including storytelling

Royal Albert DLR�Connaught Bridge

• Located adjacent to Connaught Bridge there are a number of suitable outdoor locations for performance, murals or temporary activations.
• Connection to fluidity and water.

Connaught Elizabeth

Line Portal

• Located by Royal Albert DLR. Opposite the waterfront this building is the perfect backdrop for a mural or temporary artwork.

Compressor

House

• Originally built in 1914, Compressor House served as a cold storage warehouse for Royal Docks cargo. This locally listed building features distinctive red brickwork and an industrial interior, making it an architectural gem with potential for activations inside or around the grounds.

If you would like more information please contact: ��

royaldockshivecurates@gmail.com�

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