The artwork – entitled Was. Is. Will Be. – is part-poem, part-community archive. It embeds local voices, memories and feelings in the square for generations to come.
The poem is etched across Cygnet Square, culminating in a spinning weather vane-style signpost featuring the words, ‘Horses Are Here’. The words move with the wind, pointing to past, present and future sightings of Thamesmead's iconic cobs.
Horses belonging to the Gypsy Traveller population have lived in the area for centuries and can still be found grazing on Erith Marshes.
“My ideas for this work were led by residents’ feelings of living in Thamesmead,” Jasleen told Talk of Thamesmead. “In workshops, we spoke about what they’d choose to salvage or cling onto from their area in a time of rapid change.
“In a way, the work is a memorial or an attempt at ensuring these things are not forgotten about.”
Community gathers for unveiling
Residents who had gathered for the unveiling heard readings of the poem that forms Was. Is. Will Be. After Jasleen described the artwork as a “wayfinder”, Thamesmead singer-songwriter J Cocoa treated the crowd to an impromptu performance of a newly-written song called Wayfinder.
Attendees also took part in a workshop at The Nest. They wrote answers to the question ‘What is your centre?’ across the windows in chalk paint.
Commissioned by residents
Jasleen’s design was commissioned by five residents chosen through an open call in 2021. The group of young creatives – Comfort Adeneye, Qozeem Lawal, Shalini Panchal, Whitney Manassian and Gonzalo Fuentes Pinto – formed the Thamesmead creative studio.
They researched the area, wrote an initial brief for an artwork centred on the people of Thamesmead, selected a shortlist, and ultimately commissioned Jasleen.
"We worked closely with local people to tell the stories of Thamesmead that often get overlooked,” said Qozeem. “Jasleen, with her fearless care for community, totally got that. Her artwork is a brilliant reflection of the brief we wrote.
“We’re excited for people to experience it and for it to ignite conversation locally."
Qozeem and Comfort also collaborated to create Horse Hotline, an interactive photography and sound project in response to Was. Is. Will Be. Visitors to Cygnet Square can call a phone number to hear the imagined histories of horses who have lived in the area for centuries.
Horse Hotline is installed in the square along with Homage to the Block, an artwork by late creative studio member Gonzalo Fuentes Pinto. Gonzalo’s work uses textiles coloured with natural dyes foraged from the local landscape to represent the staircases of Thamesmead’s architecture and the flow of the community.
“By letting the next generation decide what goes in our public spaces, we’re encouraging celebration of stories and communities that might otherwise have remained hidden,” said Adriana Marques, Peabody’s Assistant Director of Cultural Programme and Strategy.
Since being commissioned to design the Cygnet Square artwork, Jasleen has secured one of the most prestigious honours in British art. The London-based creative won the 2024 Turner Prize for her exhibition, Alter Altar.
See Was. Is. Will Be.
Was. Is. Will Be. is now permanently installed in Cygnet Square. Visit it and share your photos of by tagging @thamesmeadnow on social media.
You can also call the Horse Hotline on 07380 337 609 to hear stories exploring themes of community, land and change. Calls are charged at your standard rate.