CBD at The Wilds, Barking Riverside
This summer, we were delighted to partner with Barking Riverside to present the Wild Explorers’ programme of family art workshops and Gaia, by UK artist Luke Jerram.
We have been getting creative at The Wilds and exploring both the local and global environment.
Throughout August, families and young people worked with artists at The Wilds and the Rivergate Centre to make wonderful artworks and poems inspired by the abundant local wildlife. These could be seen in an art trail between the Rivergate Centre and The Wilds from Wednesday 1 to Sunday 5 September and at the Rivergate Centre between Monday 6 and Friday 10 September.
We were also excited to collaborate with Triangoals, a thriving local organisation who helped us connect with even more children, young people and families.
Gaia, a touring artwork by Luke Jerram, was presented in the sunken garden at The Wilds between Thursday 2 and Sunday 5 September. Measuring seven metres in diameter, it has been created from detailed NASA space imagery of the Earth’s surface, with a specially composed soundtrack by Dan Jones. The installation provided the opportunity to see our beautiful planet floating in three dimensions and was lit for local residents to view throughout the night.
On Friday 3 September, we celebrated the arrival of Gaia and all the wonderful work created by local children and families at the Wild Explorers’ workshops. We enjoyed visits from Riverside School and a special celebration event featuring an array of local talent. Hosted by Dauda Ladejobi and co-curated by Khushnood Ahmed, the event included:
A walking tour of the Wild Explorers art trail by Creative Wellness
DJ sets by Josiah Oyekunle (aka The King’s Decree) and Yamani Weekes
Traditional and Bollywood dance performances by Jaz from D-Style Dance
Spoken word performances from Dauda Ladejobi and John Akinde
A collaborative printing workshop with the Riverside Muslim Association
Delicious food from Bri’s Kitchen
Over the first weekend of September, 1,200 people visited The Wilds to see Gaia and we collected and displayed hundreds of messages inspired by the artwork. CBD also commissioned project artist Patrick Bullock to make a beautiful cormorant that was displayed at The Wilds for the event.
Thank you to everyone who supported the project and made our summer at The Wilds such a special experience. If you did not have a chance to come and visit, you can see some of the beautiful artworks and great performances we enjoyed above.
Project Artists: John Akinde, Manuela Benini, Patrick Bullock, Camille Dawson, Di Jones, Pragya Kumar, Dauda Ladejobi, Cristina Ottonello, Shermaine Slocombe and Anna Van Der Porten.
Photography by Jimmy Lee, Ben Pipe and Anna Van Der Porten.