About the Catch - The Catch - The London borough of Barking and Dagenham.

About the Catch

The Catch is a gateway public artwork for Barking town centre designed by artist Loraine Leeson of cSPACE, in collaboration with Anne Thorne Architects Partnership and built by Alloy Fabweld Ltd.

It is sited on the Fanshawe Avenue roundabout at the junction with Longbridge Road, close to Barking Town Centre.

The theme
reflects two key elements of Barking's heritage and history - the fishing industry and the area's Saxon heritage.

Ultimately however The Catch is an image for the future - its possibilities grounded in the area's history and experience as the basis upon which the potential of its young people may be realised.

The artwork represents
two nets being cast upwards and outwards with the force of a wave.

Their structure derives from Celtic knotwork, similar to that found on the stonework in the ruins of Barking Abbey and is constructed from rolled aluminium, the 'nets of silver' of the rhyme.

Fish, designed to move with the wind, appear to leap from the net.

Intentions
One of the intentions of the artwork is to support and inspire children and young people of the area in their ideas and wishes for the future, reflecting the borough's own strategy for regeneration.

Northbury Junior School close to the site is involved and all 360 children are participating through making a fish of their own, accompanied by a wish for the future of their community. Their work will appear on the gallery pages.

The artist has involved graduate students from the University of East London, together with young people from a sixth form college to help run the workshops.

All are currently participating in a cSPACE mentoring programme designed to offer a cascade of skills and experience from cSPACE to the students and young people, and thereby to the children, each offering support and role models to their younger counterparts.

The University has offered to host an exhibition of all work produced in connection with the project at its new Docklands campus early next year.

Picture of the Catch

Celtic knotwork

Contact

Tracy McNulty

London Borough of

Barking and Dagenham

Education, Arts & Libraries

The Westbury Centre

Ripple Road

Barking IG11 7PT

Email: artsadmin@lbbd.gov.uk