Cyanotype Printing in Beckton Park

As part of the delivery of Royal Docks’ public art strategy, CAS *Consultancy have been working with East-London based street art collective, Wood Street Walls to produce a vibrant, large-scale mural on Magellan Boulevard in Royal Albert Wharf. 

The 62 metre artwork will be informed by two community cyanotype workshops which have taken place throughout October - the first with year 4 students from Gallions Primary School in Newham, and the second with local residents and friends of Royal Docks. 

The latter saw the Wood Street Walls team lead an autumnal nature walk through Beckton District Park where attendees were encouraged to identify flora, and collect fallen leaves for textural rubbings and cyanotype compositions.

For the cyanotype session, found flora was placed on pre-prepared photosensitive paper and secured with glass before exposing to sunlight. Moments later the prints were rinsed and the varied outcomes displayed collectively while they dried. 

The natural forms visible in the group’s cyanotype prints will serve as a springboard for Wood Street Walls’ upcoming artwork which will be delivered by artist duo STATIC in collaboration with students from the University of East London’s Royal Docks campus.

This project has been commissioned by The Royal Docks team and Notting Hill Genesis.