This September, we are presenting the world premiere of a major new artwork at Emerge East in Barking Riverside.
We commissioned world-renowned artist Luke Jerram to make a new artwork inspired by the ecology of Barking Riverside, and in response, he has created Pollenarium – a giant immersive pollen grain that will give us a unique bee’s-eye view of the natural landscape of Barking Riverside on Saturday 12 September when it premieres.
Pollenarium is part of Barking Riverside’s Emerge East festival programme, now in its fifth year. This year’s programme is from 11am to 9pm and features a headline set from DJ AG, alongside a line-up of artists and performers, street food, creative workshops, interactive experiences and activities for all ages.
We are holding over 30 workshops in schools and community settings, with arts and creative activities for residents and local communities that highlight the importance of pollination. A daytime ‘Pollinator Parade’ at Emerge East will feature artworks created by over 1000 local children, young people and their families. And a legacy of the artwork in the borough will see local artists commissioned to work with young people on their own environmentally themed art installations.
Luke Jerram is known for his large-scale sculptures of the Moon, the Sun, and Earth – with Gaia and Lullaby, visited Barking in 2021. Luke’s artworks often explore the wonder of astronomy, and now, in Pollenarium, he invites us to explore the mysterious world of insects and the hidden world of pollination within our local natural landscapes. Pollenarium is a scaled-up version of a microscopic grain of pollen with into a 6-metre dome that you can walk inside.
Through a curtained doorway, more than 100 lenses, each one a camera obscura, will focus the view of Barking Riverside onto the dome’s inner surface, revealing an upside-down magical mosaic.
Luke Jerram said: “I would like Pollenarium to inspire people to think about the insects they rarely notice. We need bees and insects to pollinate our food and feed our birds. I’ve created Pollenarium to be a bit like going inside a bee’s head and looking out through an array of 100 camera obscuras simultaneously. It should be an extraordinary experience, and give people a new perspective on Barking Riverside, its special ecology and the world around them. It’s really exciting to have an artwork premiere in this emerging area of London, and it’s rare to find arts organisations like Creative Barking and Dagenham willing to commission something brand new. It’s a real privilege that we’ve been able to step into the unknown of it together, and I’ve really enjoyed that creative journey.”
Sarah Wickens, Director, Creative Barking and Dagenham, said: “We are delighted to welcome back a Luke Jerram artwork to the borough. This time we asked him to create a brand new artwork experience specially for Barking Riverside. We want this playful and thoughtful artwork to inspire our residents and visitors to Barking Riverside, particularly children and young people, to develop their own creative responses to local nature and environmental issues. It is a truly unique opportunity to see a major new Luke Jerram artwork shown for the first time.”
Pollenarium is free to enter and can be seen for one day only at Barking Riverside’s Emerge East on Saturday 12 September 2026 from 11am.
Pollenarium is create by UK artist Luke Jerram and Pneuhaus, commissioned by Creative Barking and Dagenham in partnership with Barking Riverside Limited, with co-commissioning support from the Royal Horticultural Society and the University of Bristol. The artwork will premiere at Emerge East in September 2026