BRIEF:
Design for London is supporting Barratt Homes in offering emerging artistic talents a unique opportunity to shape Barratt Homes' major development at Barrier Park East.

Design for London invited up-and-coming artists and designers to animate the Royal Docks development’s most visible façade through interventions to an internal gallery that faces the DLR route. The gallery acts as a ‘blank canvas’ that has attracted a wide range of creative responses.

ZAP Architecture have been shortlisted to the last three for consideration. Winner to be announced in January.

Concept:

This mural expresses the metamorphosis of the Royal Dock area from salt marsh, to gritty industrial landscape, to chic residential neighbourhood.
The fauna of the original salt marshes still inhabit the nearby East India Dock Basin bird sanctuary, home to many bird species, including the beautiful
kingfisher, kestrel and grey heron.
We propose a bird silhouette motif, that appears in motion across the Barrier Park East facade, with due homage to Etienne Jules Marey, inventor of
chronophotography, a technique first pioneered during the latter half of the 19th century, as the docks were being developed.

ZAP’s artwork exploits the unique position of the site, adjacent to the DLR and at eye level, as the trains whiz past, passengers see the series of images in
rapid succession, and the effect is that of animation, bringing the façade to life.