Shape Newham Project Team

Anne Harlid is a Danish artist who lives in East Ham. She likes to explore the urban environment and visual language of a place; and works in the mediums of sculpture, drawing and animation. She is working on a Shape Newham project for Manor Park.

As a local resident, Anne has enjoyed having the opportunity to contribute to the area where she lives and to learn about the rich history, heritage and architecture of Newham. Anne told us "attending the community meetings was a great experience and I very much enjoyed the process of designing the artwork in response to the voices of the local community. This gave me an insight into the space itself and what kind of work might exist there, both in terms of function and aesthetic. It also provided a vehicle for me to hone into the details in the surrounding area, the architectural language that is present there. I feel very lucky to have had the chance to work in this way and am really grateful for the consistent and helpful support I have been given by both the council team and the community committees and assemblies."

Dis/Order is an experimental collective founded by Karin Andersson and Johanna Bratel, who are landscape architects from Sweden. They work on a range of projects, from large-scale strategic urban development to temporary artistic installations – always focusing on people and public spaces. They are working on a Shape Newham project for Plaistow.

Dis/Order’s projects are always developed through local participation, and they have enjoyed designing their project through workshops with young people from Rights & Equalities in Newham and Lister Community School.

Ed Crooks is a trained architect based in London. He now runs his own design studio making large scale, playful public installations. He works primarily for councils and public bodies, with a particular focus on local processes of making, for which Newham is rich with brilliant opportunities! He is working on a Shape Newham project for Green Street.

Irene Astrain is an architect from Spain who is now based in Newham. She currently works on public realm projects, garden pavilions, school interventions and house extensions. She is working on a Shape Newham project for Maryland (in the ward of Stratford and New Town). For this project she envisages her proposal as street furniture pieces that celebrate the local materiality and greenery; and has developed the design using participatory workshops with Maryland Primary School.

Irene lives between Forest Gate and Manor Park.

Irene said "Shape Newham has allowed me to work with the young people of Maryland at Maryland Primary School and their fantastic staff. The creativity and excitement the pupils showed towards the project at our engagement workshops were brilliant

Matt Ponting is an illustrator from Newham, based in Beckton. Matt’s work is characterized by its bold use of colour and distinct drawing style. He currently works on community based projects using his love of nature and urban environments to inform his illustrative drawings. He is working on the Shape Newham project for East Ham in the Nature Reserve located on Norman Road. For this project, he is developing a number of small & medium creative interventions to transform the look and feel of the site, welcome more visitors and enable them to navigate the site better.

Sabba Kahn studied architecture and has spent the past 10 years as an architectural designer. She is working on a Shape Newham project for East Ham where she will combine both her skill-sets for an artistic installation that tells the lived experiences of the community.

Sabba’s early years were spent in Plaistow, before moving to Green Street, where she has been living ever since. Sabbah said "Shape Newham is an exciting initiative - it begins to pave the way for more community-led, co-creation work.

Small Change is a partnership between Liz Clough and Sophie Rigg. Both artists live in Newham and are currently based out of Red Door Studios in East Ham. They are working on a Shape Newham project for Manor Park.

Both Liz and Sophie are socially engaged artists, choosing to centre their practice in the community where they live. They are interested in the stories of people and places, and how shared experiences can be wound together to cultivate a sense of community. They hosted a workshop at Manor Park Library to facilitate community participation in creating their Shape Newham project and have enjoyed working on this project so far. 

Sophie and Elizabeth participate in community activities and wanted the work they create to be deeply rooted in the most positive aspects of the area: community and collaboration. They said "It has been a pleasure to work with residents to design something that builds upon their, and our, understanding of the area and which will inspire a new perspective of Manor Park."

Sophie Percival has a background in both fine art and architecture. She currently has a studio in Bromley-by-Bow and works as a photographer making images of architectural models, sculptures, food etc. She is working on a Shape Newham project for Green Street.

Trapped in Zone One is a BAME led London based arts collective. They engage with community groups and organisations through creative practises to help and improve the well-being of London’s diverse communities. They host workshops, exhibitions, and curate public murals in England and across Europe. They are working on a Shape Newham project for Forest Gate, where they have collaborated with Forest Gate Youth Zone to design Voice of the Youth.

Trapped in Zone One are active in Newham. They have worked on a permanent community art project with Westfield Stratford and were selected to be part of the Newham Word Festival.

Van Dang has worked as a designer for nearly 20 years. In 2005 she moved from Vietnam to England. She is working on a Shape Newham project for Beckton, where she is collaborating with Beckton Youth Zone to design Everybody is Welcome.

Van’s art style is to share with other people - to express the attitudes and values that we stand for.