Every living thing at Tump 39, a former Royal Arsenal munitions site transformed into a haven for arts and ecology, will now be represented in decisions made about the site.
Community arts organisation Three Rivers, which is supported by Peabody, worked with the voluntary Friends of Tump 39 group to become a Zoöp.
The Zoöp model involves taking non-human life into consideration when making decisions. The Dutch initiative, overseen by the Zoönomic Institute in Rotterdam, requires an independent Speaker for the Living to be appointed. Their role is to represent animals, plants and other living things.
Friends of Tump 39 have appointed JD Swann as their Speaker for the Living. A familiar face around the town, thanks to his regular bird-watching and nature walks, he will now sit as an independent member of the Three Rivers board.
“My role is to be a conduit between the species and people,” said JD. “I hope to get people to understand more about what’s happening with the living things at Tump 39, as well as continuing to learn myself.
“There are the trees, plants and soil. There are foxes in there. You get the odd squirrel, rats, voles and things like that. There's a heronry nearby, plus all the small birds. And we might discover more species there over time.”
JD travelled to the Netherlands for training on his new role, with representatives from the Zoönomic Institute also visiting Thamesmead to help establish Tump 39 as a Zoöp. As part of his training, JD had to role-play as a tree and other living things to consider some of the things that might impact them.
He explained: “We always take everything from a human perspective. Our empathy can only go so far in understanding what other species see and experience. We can never truly know, but we can at least see if there are things we can do to help.
“I’m not there to police and stop things happening, but to ensure we’re considering how other creatures might react to any interventions humans make.”
Three Rivers recently secured a £1 million grant from Arts Council England to expand its creative community projects at Tump 39 and across Bexley.
Scott Burrell, Director of Three Rivers, said: “Becoming a Zoöp is another exciting step forward as we continue to grow a community arts movement here. We’re delighted to be the first UK organisation to adopt this model and put all living things at the heart of our decision-making.
“As we deliver and commission more projects in the coming months and years, having a Speaker for the Living will help us to consider the environmental impact of everything we do.”
Tump 39 was inaccessible to the public until the Friends of Tump 39 was formed by Three Rivers in 2023. A group of 45 volunteers now runs a community arts and ecology space at the site.
Visit threeriversbexley.org to find out how to become a Friend of Tump 39 and get involved.
