If you’ve ever wondered what the world looks like to a bumblebee buzzing across East London, you’re about to find out! World-renowned artist Luke Jerram, the genius behind those incredible, giant floating sculptures of the Moon (Museum of the Moon), Earth (Gaia), and the Sun, is bringing a brand-new, world-first immersive artwork to East London this September and we are all invited.
Meet Pollenarium: a giant, six-metre inflatable dome that reimagines a microscopic grain of pollen into a structure the size of a small building. Premiering for one day only at Barking Riverside’s Emerge East festival on Saturday 12th September 2026, this playful, awe-inspiring sculpture invites families, curious minds, and nature lovers to step right into the hidden world of our much loved urban pollinators.
What’s inside? A bee’s eye view of London
Step through the curtained doorway of the dome and experience how it feels to be a bee. Created in collaboration with US based design studio Pneuhaus, the inside of Pollenarium features over 100 inflated facets, each housing a glass lens. Every single lens acts as a camera obscura, capturing the surrounding Barking Riverside landscape and projecting it onto the inner walls of the dome. This creates a breathtaking, upside-down mosaic of the world outside, perfectly mimicking the compound visual perception of insects like bees and butterflies!
As Luke Jerram, the artist, explains it:
“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.”
And the magic doesn’t stop when the sun sets, at night, the lenses draw in the ambient light of the night sky and the local architecture, transforming the space into a glowing, immersive visual marvel.
What is special about Barking Riverside?
Set across 443 acres along the banks of the Thames, Barking Riverside isn’t just one of East London’s most vibrant new neighbourhoods; it is also a thriving sanctuary for wildlife. The area is a vital refuge for more than 40 invertebrate species and 10 types of bumblebees, including the nationally rare Shrill Carder bee and the Pantaloon bee.
With Barking and Dagenham boasting the youngest population in England and Wales, Pollenarium offers local kids and families a fresh, hands-on way to connect with the nature right on their doorstep.
Behind the wonder, however, lies an urgent message: UK flying insect numbers have dropped by nearly 60% over the last two decades, threatening a third of the food we eat. Jerram hopes the artwork will spark curiosity and inspire the young generation to love and protect these overlooked heroes:
“We need bees and insects to pollinate our food and feed our birds… I would like Pollenarium to inspire people to think about the insects they rarely notice.” Luke Jerram
A jam-packed family day out at Emerge East
Pollenarium is the headline feature of this year’s Emerge East festival, now celebrating its fifth year of bringing art, music, and food to the banks of the Thames.
Alongside the artwork, families can look forward to:
- The Pollinators Parade: A colourful daytime procession featuring eco-artworks created by over 1,000 local school children and young people.
- Live music & entertainment: A headline set from DJ AG alongside a lineup of local performers.
- Creative workshops & street food: Hands-on activities exploring biodiversity and habitats, plus delicious bites from local vendors.
For your planning:
When: Saturday 12th September 2026, from 11:00 am (One day only!) at Barking Riverside, East London
FREE to visit. Head to creativebd.org.uk to plan your visit and explore the full festival schedule or book your free time slot here.
Full event listings, tickets, and interactive trail maps, are available on the festival website. For more ideas of things to do, visit our events and activities area which provides details of free events and special offers in London’s finest venues and lots more. Follow us on Instagram for latest London restaurant reviews and thigs to do in London ideas.