At first glance, the giant sharks outside Hoxton Docks on the canal near Broadway Market seem like an eccentric piece of public art. In reality, they are the survivors of one of Hackney’s most unusual disputes, which sparked a years-long confrontation over art, planning regulations and the power of local authorities, transforming a surreal sculpture into a symbol of artistic freedom.

An Unexpected Sight on the Regent’s Canal

Known simply as ‘Sharks!’, the installation is located outside Hoxton Docks, 55 Laburnum Street E2, on the Regent’s Canal near Broadway Market and consists of five life-sized fibreglass sharks representing several species, including great whites, a tiger shark and giant prehistoric megalodons. People often encounter the sharks unexpectedly as they appear to surface from the water, creating the illusion that they are swimming through the canal.

The project was designed by architect Jaimie Shorten after winning the 2020 ‘Antepavilion’ competition, an annual architectural contest that encourages experimental works challenging conventional ideas about public space, planning, design and architecture. Rather than treating the canal as merely a backdrop, the installation transformed it into an imaginary marine landscape where predators appear to have reclaimed the city.

Those with a keen eye may also spot a series of colourful gorilla sculptures watching over the canal from the rooftops above the Hackney sharks. Although separate from the ‘Sharks!’ installation, they contribute to Hoxton Docks’ ever-changing artistic landscape, where new commissions and temporary works are regularly displayed.

More Than a Sculpture

Even though their dramatic appearance is what attracts most of the attention, the Hackney sharks were conceived as a complex architectural artwork rather than a simple sculpture. Shorten originally designed them with internal speakers and mechanical systems capable of blowing bubbles into the canal while the sharks ‘sang’ lectures on architecture, planning and urbanism to one another.

The absurd image of giant predators discussing planning policies was entirely deliberate and combined humour with pointed criticism of modern bureaucracy.

The project also paid homage to one of Britain’s most famous planning controversies: the ‘Headington Shark’ in Oxford, which itself became the subject of a lengthy legal battle during the 1980s. By drawing on that earlier story, ‘Sharks!’ questioned who ultimately has the authority to shape public space and whether creativity should always be constrained by conventional planning rules.

A Legal Battle Beneath the Surface

The controversy surrounding the installation began before the public had even seen it. In August 2020, just hours before the planned unveiling, Hackney Council obtained an emergency High Court injunction preventing the sharks from being installed outside Hoxton Docks on the grounds that they required planning permission.

What had begun as an architectural commission suddenly became a nationally reported legal dispute over the boundaries between art, architecture and development. Unable to remain in Hackney, the sharks were removed and temporarily relocated to City Road Basin in neighbouring Islington.

Their unexpected exile attracted considerable media attention and became almost as symbolic as the artwork itself. Architects, artists and campaigners argued that the case raised important questions about the balance between public regulation and creative freedom, while supporters increasingly viewed the Hackney sharks as unlikely victims of bureaucracy rather than merely pieces of public art.

Home at Last

The dispute continued for several years through planning appeals, public inquiries and legal proceedings. A Planning Inspector eventually ruled that Antepavilion’s long-established artistic use of the Hoxton Docks site should be given considerable weight, undermining key elements of the council’s case.

Following the conclusion of the planning process, the Hackney sharks were finally able to return to their intended home by the Regent’s Canal. Today, ‘Sharks!’ has become one of Hackney’s best-known contemporary artworks and one of the canal’s most distinctive landmarks.

For many passers-by they remain an amusing surprise, but for those familiar with their history they represent something much larger: a reminder that public art can challenge authority, provoke debate and leave a lasting mark on the identity of a neighbourhood.