The Beacons – Barking Riverside Foreshore Public Art
HemingwayDesign working on behalf of Barking Riverside Limited (BRL) is looking to
appoint an artist to design new artworks that respond to two navigational beacons
removed from (and intended to be reinstated on) the River Thames foreshore at
Barking Riverside.
The artworks will sit within a wider wayfinding strategy for the foreshore – an engaging
wayfinding and interpretation system that helps residents and visitors navigate and
engage with the foreshore, with a particular focus on ecology, heritage, and community.
The successful artist will work alongside HemingwayDesign.
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Project Lead: HemingwayDesign
HemingwayDesign has been appointed to lead the overall direction and project
management of the Foreshore Public Art and Wayfinding Strategy. Their role includes:
• Leading a community engagement programme to co-design the strategy
• Defining the artist brief, and appointing and collaborating with the artist to
organise and facilitate co-design workshops
• Supporting the artist (coordination, drawing and technical support) in translating
engagement outputs into public art pieces
• Producing the wayfinding strategy for the foreshore that sits alongside the
artworks
• Producing the final strategy document
• Collaborating with BRL and their consultants and contractors to ensure
proposals are deliverable and meet planning requirements.
What We’re Looking For
BRL and HemingwayDesign are looking for an artist to design artworks that meaningfully
respond to, and celebrate the two beacons on the foreshore, working closely with the
local community to get there.
Objectives:
• Develop concepts for public artworks that respond to and celebrate
the navigational beacons as a well-loved piece of Thames history.
• Help local people and visitors explore and understand the foreshore – it’s
history and ecology – through the artwork
• Build a genuine sense of belonging and community ownership through co-design
• Introduce educational elements that help residents and visitors learn about the
site and its heritage.
Mediums: We welcome applications from artists working across a range of mediums,
including interactive architectural installations, sculpture, sound art, land art, light
based works, photography, and more.
Themes: the artist should draw on the site’s ecology, its industrial and maritime heritage,
and the character and identity of the communities who use the foreshore in developing
their concept.
Functionality: The artwork may also incorporate seating, play, and interactive elements, or
other functional features that enhance its role as a community and public realm asset
Note: The exact location of the artworks within the public realm is to be determined with
BRL and the foreshore Landscape Architect team in due course.
Engagement Requirements
Community engagement is central to this commission. Once appointed, the artist will help
deliver a minimum of three engagement sessions, giving residents a meaningful
opportunity to contribute to the final designs. These will be in person at Barking Riverside
and include at least one site visit to the foreshore. The artist should also expect to present
their emerging ideas to a Project Governance Group, made up of BRL staff, the Council’s
Heritage Officer, and resident representatives.
Deliverables
By the end of the commission, the artist should have provided:
• Active participation in and contribution to three engagement sessions
• A creative concept for the permanent beacon artworks, shaped directly by the
engagement process and site context
• Sketches, drawings, models, or other visual references that clearly communicate
the form, materials, and character of the proposed artwork
• An outline indication of budget, delivery methods and maintenance
considerations for the delivery of the artwork at later stages (support will be
available from HemingwayDesign)
Indicative locations for public art along the foreshore have already been identified in BRL’s
Foreshore general arrangement plans though there’s flexibility to propose refinements.
Intellectual property created specifically for this project will belong to BRL; anything the
artist brings from their existing practice remains theirs, and should be clearly flagged as
such.
Fee, Timescales & Future Phases
Total fee: £4,500, inclusive of all fees and expenses, covering design and participation in
the engagement sessions described above.
This commission sits within Phase 1 (developing the strategy) of this project. Subject to
planning approval, BRL anticipates a Phase 2 to deliver production and installation of the
public art, and wayfinding/interpretation, with an initial indicative budget of £65,000
(excl. VAT) to deliver both public art and wayfinding.
• September 2026: engagement and co-design sessions, with the first workshop to
take place at Emerge East on Saturday 12th September
• October – November: design – translating engagement outputs into artwork
proposals
• End of November 2026: final strategy complete
How to Apply
If this brief speaks to your creative practice, we’d love to hear from you. Please send:
• A short proposal (max 2 sides of A4) outlining your approach to accessible, inclusive
engagement, and your creative vision for the artworks.
• Examples of relevant past work, with weblinks where available (public art,
community engagement projects, etc.)
• A budget breakdown: day rate, number of days, and any other expenses
Deadline: 10am, Thursday 27 August 2026
Submit to: tilly@hemingwaydesign.co.uk and charlotte@hemingwaydesign.co.uk
Successful applicant/artist notified by: Friday 28 August 2026
