Canal Dream
Community Interest Company

Dream Story

Canal Dream (CD) is an award-winning non-profit arts and cultural organisation based in London. Established in 2023 it was founded by Chuntian Hu. CD began as Chuntian’s graduation project at the Royal College of Art in 2021.

CD’s vision is to animate historical canal with emerging arts.

CD’s mission is to build a waterway-based platform for cross-sector collaboration and innovation.

CD does this by using the waterways as maps, and boats as spaces, to organise site-specific multi-arts events, creating opportunities for creative practice, community wellbeing and canal regeneration.

CD’s current services are Canal Dream Event, Canal Dream Hub, the Canal Dreamer Zine, and Canal Dream Consultancy.

CD Event: We organise multi-arts events on canals and boats. Including large festivals, small exhibitions, micro art nights and talks.

CD Hub: A waterway-based innovation and collaboration platform.

CD Zine: The Canal Dreamer, a zine featuring multidisciplinary creative practices on the canal.

CD Consultancy: We provide event consultancy including strategy, design, production, filming and marketing.

Canal Dream Art Festival 2023 Opening Night

Dream Impact

Received awards:

May 2024 Co-winner of Marcus Boudier Trophy - Inland Waterways Association Canalway Cavalcade 2024: Award for the best decorated privately entered boat in Pageant of Boats

May 2024 Co-runner up of The Cruise Electric Trophy - Inland Waterways Association Canalway Cavalcade 2024: Award for the best illuminated boat in Procession of Illuminated Boats

Sep 2023 Co-Runner up of The Cruise Electric Trophy - Inland Waterways Association Canalway Cavalcade 2023: Award for the best illuminated boat in Procession of Illuminated Boats

Sep 2022 Global Design Graduate Show 2022 Shortlisted - ARTSTHREAD X GUCCI

Jun 2022 Helen Hamlyn Design Awards 2022 Shortlisted - Royal College of Art, The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design

May 2022 Winner of Marcus Boudier Trophy - Inland Waterways Association Canalway Cavalcade 2022: Award for the best decorated privately entered boat in Pageant of Boats

Organised 14 events,

including Canal Dream Art Festival and collaborations with other festivals including: London Design Festival, IWA Canalway Cavalcade and the Aranya Theater Festival.

Built a strong network in both the canal and creative community,

CD have worked with 10+ boats, and canalside venues.

And CD work with creatives from multiple disciplines to develop different events. CD have built a 300+ creative network, mostly from the UK's leading arts schools.

CD attracts significant audiences, with over 700 visitors booked for a single event during the London Design Festival.

Media

30 September 2024 “看中国姑娘胡春甜如何打造伦敦运河上的跨文化艺术交流“ - 江南日报 (新华报业传媒集团) ; "Chinese Artist Chuntian Hu Fosters Cross-Cultural Art Exchange Along London’s Canals"– Jiangnan Times (Xinhua Daily Media Group)

19 August 2024 "Chuntian Hu on bringing art to London's waterways" - gowithYamo

16 August 2024 “Canal’s floating arts festival makes a splash” - Islington Tribune

15 August 2024 “Caustic Sounds w/ Sammy & Chuntian Hu, Canal Dream Art Festival” - Voices Radio

15 August 2024 "Chuntian Hu's Canal Dream: Reimagining Art, Nature, Community, and Heritage along London's Waterways" - gowithYamo

10 May 2024 “Canalway Cavalcade attracts thousands of visitors” - Inland Waterways Association

9 May 2024 “LIVE Panel Talk on Arts and Culture on the Canal” - All About Art Podcast

September 2023 “Understanding Canals: The Veins of the City” - London Design Festival

September 2023 “Canal Dream CIC making its debut at London Design Festival 2023, together with Slash Arts, Word on the Water, and programming partner Global Generation and the Floating Garden to celebrate arts and culture on the Regent's Canal” - Canal Dream CIC

15 August 2023 “Celebrating 10 years of Service Design at the RCA” - Royal College of Art

27 July 2023 “英国Canal Dream Art Festival 伦敦运河梦艺术节圆满落幕” - Shangqiu Daily

28 June 2023 “2023阿那亚戏剧节全回顾 | 海边艺术潮涌不息，我们明年再见!” -SOHU

20 June 2023 “发生在伦敦运河船上的一场集体梦游” - 候鸟电波 Migratory Bird Radio