LONDON.- M+R, a collaboration between artists Neil Musson and Jono Retallick, have won the inaugural Thamesmead Open international art competition with their proposal ‘Fields of everywhen’.

‘Fields of everywhen’ is a two year project, which aims to create ‘a flying gallery that floats extraordinary stories in the air on a purpose built balloon which shows the embroidered and textile creations of local communities’ said winners Neil Musson and Jono Retallick.

Exploring history, experiences and conversations, Neil and Jono’s symbolic and aspirational creation will evolve in conjunction with the diverse communities of Thamesmead and work in partnership with local residents and creatives including Zimbabwean-born fashion designer Tapiwa Dingwiza and local empowerment project, the Women’s Lounge as well as the area’s growing contemporary textile groups, notably in the Ghanaian, Nigerian and Traveller communities in Thamesmead.

The project will consist of residents and collaborators’ stories interpreted as an enormous 23 metre high depiction of a new embroidered work described as a contemporary version of the Bayeux Tapestry. From intimate acts of individual craft, a wider neighbourhood story will be created bringing different pockets of the community together. In this sense, ‘Fields of everywhen’ will become an iconic symbol of Thamesmead’s burgeoning textile talent.

Once created, the embroideries will be transformed into the form of a hot air balloon. Launched and then tethered in flight above Thamesmead in various locations over five different dates, visible from far beyond Thamesmead, the sculpture is a high-profile celebration of the global roots, stories and heritages of local people, and social and cultural interaction that will be remembered for years to come. A lasting legacy will be an epic tome formed of all the stories collected throughout the project to be viewed and referred to.




In addition to tethered flights, the sculpture will also be inflated on its side, welcoming wider audiences from London and beyond into the balloon to see the stories up close, illuminated from the outside like a stained glass window. It will be an inspirational and photogenic moment for local people and audiences from afar.

The competition, organised by Peabody, invited artists to react to the unique setting of Thamesmead, the iconic Brutalist new town in South East London, and share their vision for the area with proposals that directly responded to its location, distinctive landscape, history, future and diverse communities. The competition recognises the importance of culture in making great places to live, and, alongside wider cultural activity supported by Peabody, represents a significant investment in the local creative careers and livelihoods.

M+R’s proposal was chosen by a panel of judges including the Head of Regeneration & Community at Tate Modern, Donald Hyslop and architect and designer, Asif Khan as well as Thamesmead community members and representatives from Bexley Council and Greenwich Council, after 69 entries were submitted from artists all over the world.

The judges celebrated M+R’s accessible and uplifting vision for the future of Thamesmead, something to be embraced in current times. They particularly enjoyed how it draws on contemporary traditions of textile in Thamesmead’s local communities and strong involvement with a broad group of local artists, residents and social initiatives.

M+R overcame stiff competition from four finalists to win the Thamesmead Open Commission: Lina Lapelyte with Implant Architecture and UP Projects; Marc Rees with Crafted Space; Something & Son with Freya Bramble Carter; and Emmanuel Unaji with Unaji&Co.

The project has a total budget of £200,000 covering artist, collaborator and organisation fees, productions costs and travel to create the flying story over two years. The first flights are expected to be launched in Summer 2022.