Art created to draw attention to pollution in river

East London artist Isha Bøhling has teamed up with The River Roding Trust to create the piece, titled "Revival," which will be on display until October 2026 at SPACE Ilford.

The billboard artwork, which started as a hand-painted drawing on paper, aims to explore overlooked histories and patterns while responding to the hidden and heavily polluted River Roding in Ilford.

The river has been neglected and largely inaccessible for decades, flowing beneath the North Circular in a densely built-up area of East London.

The River Roding Trust, a grassroots environmental group, has been crucial in improving the river's condition, challenging Thames Water over sewage discharges and conducting clean-up efforts.

The London Borough of Redbridge now plans to reconnect Ilford and its residents with the Roding Valley through the GLA-funded Ilford Arrival project in 2026.

The project, along with various community initiatives, aims to conserve wildlife around the river and its tidal salt marsh.

Bøhling's artwork, commissioned by Premlata Mistry, Head of Programmes at SPACE, features hand-painted geometric forms that intermingle and overlap, with luminous greens alluding to algae blooms or chemical pollutants, and crystalline shapes evoking geological micro-worlds.

During her research, Bøhling walked along the River Roding, meeting with volunteers from the River Roding Trust, who have made a significant positive impact on the river through clean-up efforts and waste removal.

In her research, Bøhling met with volunteers from the River Roding Trust, a grassroots environmental group supported by Paul Powelsland, who have made a significant positive impact on the river through clean-up efforts, waste removal, and the planting of trees and shrubs along its banks.

The artwork was photographed and printed by local printer Sabre Graphics.

Bøhling, an internationally exhibited artist with an MA in Fine Art from St Martins, is working on an upcoming solo exhibition in London.