Royal Docks Originals
Hive Curates played a central role in the Docks Open Art Series, part of Royal Docks Originals, the new biennial festival celebrating creativity, community, and heritage across the Royal Docks. Running in September 2025, the festival invited artists, residents, and visitors to explore the area’s past, present, and future through the theme of Metamorphosis, transformation and journeys.
Within this programme, Hive Curates co-produced and curated a selection of projects, including murals, installations, performances, and participatory artworks that responded to the Docklands’ landscapes, history, and communities. These projects offered moments of discovery, reflection, and connection, showcasing the transformative power of art in urban spaces.
Bioluminescent Garden by Hannah Whittaker
Hannah Whittaker’s glowing installation transformed handmade flowers into a living archive of the Royal Docks. Each petal was decorated by local participants using archival imagery and colour palettes, capturing the area’s history while celebrating its evolution into a hub of creativity and connection. Through projection mapping, textures, maps, and footage of the Docks, the Bioluminescent Garden embodied the transformation of materials, of the space, and of the community itself.
Live Music and Spoken Word by You Press
You Press brought live music and spoken word to the Good Hotel. Emerging artists and local storytellers explored migration, regeneration, resilience, and cultural heritage through soulful performances and poetry. This uplifting event transformed public spaces into stages for creativity, amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities in Newham and celebrating the area’s rich history and bright future.
Docks Photobooth of Futures by Kevin Audience
Participants stepped into Kevin Audience’s Docks Photobooth of Futures, an interactive portrait installation at the IFS Cable Car entrance. They were photographed in a pop-up photobooth and transformed with “future filters,” blending archival imagery, futuristic motifs, and symbols of community aspirations. The portraits now contribute to a digital archive, capturing collective imagination and pride while exploring identity, memory, and possibility.
Rain Jam by Rain Crew
Rain Crew celebrated hip hop culture with Rain Jam, a dance battle full of music, movement, and excitement. Dancers competed, showcasing skill, creativity, and self-expression, while audiences experienced the joy, resilience, and connection that were central to the community spirit of this vibrant art form.
Cargoes by SDNA
Cargoes, a moving-image installation by SDNA, transformed the space into a living canvas of light and sound. Developed with local groups from the West Silvertown Village Community Foundation, the installation layered archival imagery with participants’ collages, drawings, and sound recordings, creating a dreamscape that reflected the Docks’ history, transformation, and ongoing stories of the community.
Threads of Arrival by Luke Gray
Cargoes, a moving-image installation by SDNA, transformed the space into a living canvas of light and sound. Developed with local groups from the West Silvertown Village Community Foundation, the installation layered archival imagery with participants’ collages, drawings, and sound recordings, creating a dreamscape that reflected the Docks’ history, transformation, and ongoing stories of the community.
Chila Burman
Renowned British artist Chila Burman brought her bold, vibrant aesthetic to the Royal Docks with My Tuk Tuk, a full-size decorated tuk-tuk featuring her signature motifs, Hindu deities, glitter, bindis, and tiger imagery. The installation celebrates heritage, identity, and joy, inviting visitors to engage with her playful, colourful exploration of culture and community.
Graphic Rewilding
Creative duo Graphic Rewilding, Lee Baker and Catherine Borowski, transformed The Pump House façade with Blue Sunset, a vibrant mural celebrating Newham’s cultural diversity through flora and fauna. Developed with local residents, the artwork blends community stories, Docklands heritage, and urban nature, reflecting transformation, wellbeing, and the power of art to reimagine city spaces.