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Chuntian Hu

BIOGRAPHY

Chuntian Hu is the Founder and Director of Canal Dream Community Interest Company (CD), an award-winning nonprofit arts and cultural organisation based in London. Her recent practice focuses on creating waterway-based arts events in the UK, using art as a tool for canal regeneration and social change. By producing multi-arts festivals on the canals, she fosters dialogue among art, nature, community, and heritage, encouraging cross-sector collaboration. Chuntian also explores waterways as a medium for international cultural exchange.

Chuntian has grown CD from her Royal College of Art (RCA)  graduation project into a thriving organisation, producing 14 events along Regent’s Canal, including the Canal Dream Art Festival (2023 & 2024), which she founded, and collaborations with the London Design Festival (LDF 2023), the Inland Waterways Association’s (IWA) Canalway Cavalcade (2022–2024), and the Aranya Theater Festival (2023). Her events attract significant audiences, with over 700 visitors booked for a single event during the LDF. 

Chuntian has built a strong network across the canal and creative communities, collaborating with over 10 boats transformed into floating art spaces, including Word on the Water, London’s iconic book barge, and Global Generation’s Floating Garden. She has also engaged with over 300 creatives across performance, music, poetry, film, and visual arts. Her contributions have been widely recognised, including being featured in RCA News as one of seven distinguished alumni during the 10th anniversary celebration of RCA Service Design in 2023. CD has received several awards under her leadership, including the IWA’s Marcus Boudier Trophy for the best-decorated boat at the Canalway Cavalcade  (2022 & 2024). 

With a multidisciplinary background in art, design, and social enterprise, Chuntian is a skilled cross-sector collaborator, blending creativity, strategic thinking and production coordination to deliver transformative culture projects with a social purpose.

Contact Me for Full CV​

I HAVE STUDIED DESIGN, ART, AND BUSINESS AT...

I FOUNDED AND LEAD CANAL DREAM CIC,
PRODUCING ART & CULTURAL EVENTS ON CANALS, IN COLLABORATION WITH...

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I HAVE DEVELOPED PRODUCT & SERVICE DESIGN PROJECTS FOR, WITH, OR AT... 

I HAVE RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING AWARDS (SELECTED):

  • May 2024 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 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 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

  • Feb 2021 Winner of HackLBS 2021 - London Business School: Award for Empowering women by Entreprenurship Club x Women in Business Club 

  • Jun 2017 First prize, Graduation Design - Central Academy of Fine Arts 

  • Jun 2017 Qianlixing Scholarship Shortlisted - Central Academy of Fine Arts

  • Apr 2017 China National Scholarship - Ministry of Education (China)

  • Jun 2016 Beijing High-Level Talents Cross-Training Program for Universities (Entrepreneurship Category, Graduation Project) - Beijing Municipal Education Commission

I HAVE BEEN MENTIONED IN THE FOLLOWING MEDIA (SELECTED):

  • 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

  • 22 June 2023 “Canalway Cavalcade Celebrates big 40” - Towpath Talk

  • 2 June 2023 “Canalway Cavalcade celebrates 40th anniversary” - Inland Waterways Association 

  • 3 May 2022 “Canalway Cavalcade 2022 declared a great success” - Inland Waterways Association 

  • 23 July 2021 “胡春甜: 人人都可以说自己创造了艺术品” - 候鸟电波 Migratory Bird Radio

  • 7 June 2021 “阿那亚戏剧节【候鸟300】远不止你此时看到的这些” - SOHU

  • 30 May 2018 “来福士艺术季:奇幻之城” - Art99

  • 1 September 2017  “2017“旋构塔 设计不在”主题展览北京时代美术馆开幕” - People's Daily

  • 8 June 2017 “毕业季丨微展厅·2017届本科生毕业作品展——设计学院” - CAFA Art Museum

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