Who we are
Emergency Exit Arts (EEA) is one of Britain’s pioneering outdoor arts companies, creating magical experiences in the places where you live, learn, work and play. We reinvigorate communities, give people a voice and challenge the ordinary.
Our vision
Enriching people's lives through creativity
Our mission
Our mission is to enrich people’s lives and empower communities to flourish. We achieve this by producing dynamic art that sparks awe-inspiring creativity.
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By helping people and places unlock their creative potential
We empower individuals and communities to discover their artistic voices. Through workshops, collaborations, and co-creation, we ignite creativity, fostering self-expression and imagination.
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By producing our own awe-inspiring art in public spaces
Our work extends beyond conventional galleries. We transform streets, parks, and squares into captivating stages. Our art engages, provokes, and celebrates the shared human experience.
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By providing creative solutions to our client’s needs
EEA collaborates with clients, tailoring imaginative solutions. Whether it’s a festival, event, or community project, we infuse creativity into every endeavour.
How we work
Our aim is to surprise, delight and exceed your expectations.
We do this by listening carefully to you: what you want to achieve, how you want your audiences to respond and of course, practical things like your budget and timescale.
We’ll open doors, push boundaries and make your project even better than you imagined. And we’re not afraid to take creative risks to achieve something extraordinary. As a result our work is challenging, exciting and has lasting impact on all those involved, making them feel inspired and part of a shared experience.
If you have an idea you’d like to bring to life please contact us or call us on 0208 853 4809.
For more information on our Way of Working with partners, clients, communities, freelancers, trustees and employees view our handbook.
Our history
Founded 1980, EEA began as an artists’ collective born out of a desire to radically transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. At a time of social and political change we aspired to make a positive difference to people’s lives, particularly those who have been discriminated against and those living in economically excluded communities across London and the UK. Now a registered charity and one of the Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisations, EEA has evolved into the reputable outdoor arts company it is today, still pioneering and still inspiring change through creativity.
We’ve been resident in Rothbury Hall in Greenwich, SE London, for over 35 years. It’s a building loaded with history and originally built for use by the community. We maintain this tradition and are proud to call it our home.
Who we work with
We work with local authorities, festivals, event producers, communities, cultural organisations, education and heritage sectors. Our clients return consistently or are referred to us by other clients. They are enthralled by our work and respect our expertise, competitiveness and can-do attitude.
“There are many companies who are able to fulfil commissions, but few of them are like EEA. Their openness to ideas and desire to connect with both partners and audiences make them a joy to work with - they are an asset to any project.”
“I’ve always found EEA to be creative, responsive, resourceful and flexible with a highly skilled team. I consider them a great asset to the London outdoor arts sector.”
“It was brilliant to see the Fire Bird in action! The client loved it, I loved it, I could see everyone in the crowd did too!”
“It has been awesome working and learning alongside EEA. I will miss you all loads and hope to work together again in the future. You have taught us so much, developed our confidence and made our brains explode with creative ideas!”
“EEA have been a pleasure to work with for 2 consecutive years of Paisley Halloween Festival. Their work is of the utmost quality and delights audiences of all ages at our festival each year. Monster Lab is a stunningly creative, very entertaining and unique interactive fire show featuring a talented ensemble of performers. Everything is handled very professionally by the team on site and with a strong commitment to safety and flexible approach.”
Support EEA
As an arts organisation we’re not fed by profit. Everything we do is free for participants and spectators. We have enjoyed greater longevity than many in our sector but we rely on funding and increasingly on donations. Through the generosity of our donors we would like to continue creating impactful arts events well into the future, reaching audiences annually of over 800,000 and delivering workshops to over 20,000 people every year.
You can give a one off donation or set up a regular donation here. We can claim Gift Aid if you are a UK tax payer, which makes your donation go further.
There are many ways you can help us and we’d love to hear from you. While we can’t promise you your name on a plaque or freebies, we can offer you the knowledge that you’re part of something meaningful and lasting.