The Wapping Hydraulic Power Station was built to provide power to the industrial manufacturing hub that was East London. It has sat on the banks of the Shadwell Basin for 130 years. In a move to widen access to arts and culture in line with its 2025 Vision, Tate partners with the Ministry of Justice to lead a social programme for one of London’s most challenged boroughs.

Questioning the role, requirement, and current performance of UK Youth Offender Institutes, Tate Wapping is an arts-led, social rehabilitative retreat for dysfunctional teens nearing their re-entry into society. The building is inhabited by 20 young offenders for a creative rehabilitation programme lasting a month and offering a range of arts workshops in three phases.

As highlighted by those who work with young offenders, observation and security needs decrease over time as individuals become a known quantity. In response to this the site opens up gradually. Water is drained over the thirty-day cycle, eventually revealing public entrances and allowing young offenders greater freedom to explore, inhabit the site, and interact with the public, propelling them towards a successful re-entry into the community.