Heads! Look To The Workers, Laura Wilson

‘The lumper, the lurker, the baker, the weaver, the spinner, the sampler, the spark… ’ is the opening line of artist Laura Wilson’s poem, inscribed into three sculptures honouring east London’s workers and makers. The work is activated by the V&A East team with the call “Heads!” Raised and lowered by a fly system, like those used in docks and theatres, the movement reflects shift patterns and the nearby tidal flows of the River Thames. Wilson’s artwork is informed by her research into east London theatres, factories, docks and women’s workwear. You can see these objects on display at V&A East Storehouse on Level 2. The sculpture will be lowered at different times of the day, daily, by V&A East's team, and visitors will have the opportunity to read the poem on the Upper Ground floor. Please click here to listen to an audio recording of Laura Wilson reading the poem Heads! Look to the Workers, which is inscribed into her sculpture. The recording was made in February 2026 along the bank of the River Thames in East London, near Wilson's Bow Arts Trust studio at Royal Albert Wharf.