Luke Jerram's Pollenarium Brings Bee-Eye View of Thames to Barking Riverside
On September 12, 2026, British artist Luke Jerram unveiled his immersive installation, Pollenarium, at Emerge East in Barking Riverside, East London. This project, commissioned by Creative Barking and Dagenham and developed in collaboration with U.S.-based Pneuhaus, features a massive pollen grain designed as a geodesic dome with a curtained entryway leading into a 6-meter-wide space. Inside, over 100 glass lenses cast inverted images of the surrounding landscape onto the dome, creating a surreal experience. The installation reflects Jerram's interest in scale and visual perception, particularly concerning insects. Barking Riverside is vital for pollinators, hosting 10 bee species, including the endangered shrill carder bee, and underscores a 60% decline in the UK's flying insect population.
Key facts
- Pollenarium premiered at Emerge East on September 12, 2026, at Barking Riverside, London.
- The installation was commissioned by Creative Barking and Dagenham.
- Luke Jerram collaborated with U.S.-based design studio Pneuhaus.
- The artwork is a giant pollen grain with a geodesic dome structure and a 6-meter-wide interior.
- Over 100 glass lenses act as camera obscuras, projecting upside-down images onto the dome's interior.
- Barking Riverside supports 10 species of solitary and bumblebees, including the shrill carder bee and pantaloon bee.
- The site is home to more than 40 other invertebrate species, such as butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, and wasps.
- The project highlights a nearly 60% decline in UK flying insect abundance over the past 20 years.
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- Creative Barking and Dagenham
- Pneuhaus
- Emerge East festival
- University of Bristol
- Paintworks
Locations
- Barking Riverside
- London
- United Kingdom
- Thames
- Bristol