East Marsh United are proud to be part of Sea Like a Mirror – an ambitious national partnership programme, commissioned to mark the 200th anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), it is inspired by the profound legacy of their life-saving work and the special status its volunteer crews occupy in the collective consciousness of our island nation.
At the heart of the programme, is a newly commissioned artwork, White Horses, by Ivan Morison, from the collaborative practice of Heather Peak and Ivan Morison, accompanied in Cleethorpes by two creative projects Shifting Sands by local artist Lynsey Powles and We Are the Weather by songwriter and musician Beccy Owen.
About the artworks
White Horses
Produced through a series of visits to lifeboat stations and seaside towns around the coastline, and in close collaboration with those who hold a deep connection to the water, the work explores the sea’s innate duality as a place of wonder and peril, and the myriad roles it plays for coastal communities.
This travelling work, housed within a unique, custom-made sculptural tent will be installed on the seafront, immersing audiences in the stories of RNLI crew and local people from around our coastline. Within this structure, Ivan’s new work, White Horses, will be screened using 16mm projection and accompanied by live music from local musicians,presenting a multifaceted portrait of the sea and the nation’s coastal towns, bringing together six diverse locations, each linked by the lifeboat station at the centre of their community.
Screenings
Thursday 12th June – 7:30pm to 8:30pm
Friday 13th June – 2pm to 3pm, 4:30pm to 5:30pm & 7:30pm to 8:30pm
Saturday 14th June – 2pm to 3pm, 4:30pm to 5:30pm & 7:30pm to 8:30pm
Sunday 15th June – 2pm to 3pm, 4:30pm to 5:30pm & 7:30pm to 8:30pm
Shifting Sands
Lynsey Powels, an artist based in the East Marsh of Grimsby, has over two decades of experience as a community artist in the area. For the past ten years she has organised the Cleethorpes Urban Arts Festival, bringing live art, music and dance to the resort. As part of Shifting Sands, Lynsey will run a number of workshops for young people from the TickArt Office arts hub at Cleethorpes Station, where they will be invited to think about the ever-changing sandscape, to consider its visual impact as well as its bearing on safety. Over time the beach scene has altered dramatically, through wind and weather and nature reclaiming areas to create a saltmarsh haven for wildlife, with hidden creaks and fast incoming tide. The sand seemingly stretches for miles when the tide is out, tempting people to walk out and explore, unaware of its hidden dangers. Many rescues must be made throughout the year. Workshops will include gathering found objects, working up designs and trial working with sand before the final SandArt Creations are made.
Lynsey’s workshops will take place on Sundays and run for 6 weeks from 4th May until 8th June at the TickArt Office from 11am to 2:30pm and will be for young people aged 7 upwards. The live SandArt events will take place on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th June on the beach near to the White Horses tent. For more information about booking on to the workshops please contact Lynsey through @lyns_urbanart
We Are the Weather
Beccy Owen, a good friend of East Marsh United, is a Welsh – born songwriter, singer, musical director and composer based in the Northeast of England. She will run a series of creative composition workshops with children from St Mary’s Catholic Primary Academy, William Barcroft Junior School and Phoenix Park Academy. Based on a method of music-making taking wildness, resilience, changeable weather and tides as both literal inspiration and metaphors for wellbeing and mental health, featuring a finished piece that includes composition, sound design, song, improvisational aspects and field recordings. The finished result will be a 3 – 4-minute musical snapshot of the young people’s ideas, reflecting their connection to the weather on the day – both their internal mood and the external conditions – and drawn from material generated across 3 workshops. This piece will be both recorded and performable.
For the chance to hear We Are the Weather come along to the White Horses tent on the morning of Friday 13th June, exact timings to be confirmed so watch this space. For more information about Beccy Owen check out @beccyowenmusic
