Futurecity was appointed to develop and deliver a series of high-profile cultural ideas for the Greenwich Peninsula. Our research showed that North Greenwich was not a natural destination for Londoners and barely visited even by residents of the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The industrial site had seen a series of large-scale industrial interventions over many years.
Futurecity devised a ‘cultural DNA’ approach to the Peninsula’s development, helping establish a new creative district for London. Futurecity worked with client Knight Dragon to explore and develop a range of high-profile embedded art commissions and cultural projects designed to help build an authentic, new identity for the Peninsula embedded into the landscape, architecture and infrastructure.
The cultural development began with a series of meanwhile activation projects such as the NOW Gallery, a hybrid exhibition space and marketing suite, and The Jetty, an interim cultural venue that has hosted immersive theatre performers Shunt and other events on the disused coal jetty.
Ambitious public art projects such as ‘Optic Cloak’ by artist Conrad Shawcross RA have demonstrated how an embedded arts approach across the site can create landmark beacons for the site.
Futurecity’s largest contribution to the Peninsula project, developed in partnership with engineers Price & Myers, was the idea for a part elevated sculptural 5km running track winding around the development. Now delivered as the Tide, this has become a crucial platform for public art installations and activations across the site, having hosted programmes such as the Turning Tides Festival.
Futurecity’s ‘cultural DNA’ approach firmly established the Peninsula as a key cultural destination. The site is now known as London’s Design District with a range of public artworks and cultural assets across the Peninsula. It is also home to Ravensbourne University, a digital media and design specialist institution, and the Peninsula’s Design District, the largest cluster of creative industries workspace in the capital.
