Changing Tides - Queenborough

Changing Tides is a public cultural programme aboard Sailing Barge Raybel inspired by the cultural diversity of the heritage and communities of the Thames, and celebrating social movements and expressions of rebellion, freedom and joy.

It nurtures critical discussions about the uneven historical legacies of maritime trade and the manifold consequences of post-industrial decline in contemporary Britain.

The programme has been devised by artist and musician Benjin, in collaboration with Raybel Charters.

The programme includes two 'On the Move’ events, for which guest artists have been invited to create work whilst under sail on a traditional Sailing Barge between Isle of Sheppey and Canvey Island. There is also a series of live music events aboard Thames Sailing Barge Raybel at Queenborough Harbour and Benfleet Yacht Club, please see separate event listings for those.

Benjin: The Last Days of Sail

Benjin is a multi-instrumentalist, artist and story teller. His solo compositions use classical guitar, cello, harp, clarinet, vocals, nyckelharpa, field recordings and found sounds. Aside from regular concert performances, benjin's music has been featured on BBC Radio 6 Music, Radio 3 and at the TATE Galleries.

He will perform ‘Last Days of Sail’, exploring the multiple ways in which his instrumental compositions, song poems, and dense sound collage improvisations have been informed (and quite literally formed) through a lifetime of working on the Thames Estuary. Drawing upon pieces written for cello, classical guitar, nyckelharpa and voice the programme will highlight the importance of immersed 'authentic' perspectives within folk music traditions.

Mataoi Austin Dean

Mataoi Austin Dean sings folksong primarily from the South of England. He is best known for his work as a member of the nine-piece folk group, Shovel Dance Collective. He sees his singing of folksong as part of a decolonial process: centring notions of locality, class solidarity, and international exchange, and rejecting totalising, imperialistic structures of Britishness and whiteness. Born in 1996 to a Guyanese mother and an English father, and educated at the Slade School of Fine Art, Mataio’s practice extends across visual art, poetry, music, and activism. He creates images, often intaglio prints, which explore England and Guyana’s darkly intertwined histories, throwing light upon moments of resistance whilst unearthing stories of coloniality and rebellion embedded in English landscape and architecture.

Mataio will perform work specifically developed and produced for Estuary festival, based on his artistic research and ground breaking work on sea shanty songs and their African origins. Expect acapella, critical discussion and poetic reflections on the politics of folk music in contemporary culture.

David Nettleingham

Dr David Nettleingham is a sociologist and multidisciplinary artist from the Isle of Thanet. In his social research, community facilitation work and creative practice, he is interested in how the power of storytelling, collective memory, and ideas of ‘heritage’ shape our actions and understandings in the present.

David is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Kent and has been a guest tutor at a number of local arts institutions, emphasising both an arts-led approach to sociology and a sociologically-led approach to the arts. He is Co-Director at Hold Creatives Spaces gallery and studios in Ramsgate, and founder of Thanet Experimental – a scheme to promote experimental art practice through funded exhibition opportunities. He runs regular workshops for community oral history training, and local map-making (and countermapping).

David will be presenting specially commissioned work for Estuary Festival, casting a critical eye over the politics of heritage work in North Kent, and discovering if there are parallels in South Essex. Also, how post-industrial decline has forever changed our relationship to class, traditional skills and the sense of community.

Cirenne

Cirenne will play new, experimental music at a cross-cultural intersection of klezmer, chamber jazz and free improvisation, Cirenne is a singular combination of violin, viola, trumpet and electronics. Playful and cinematic, deadly serious and sometimes pretty silly, Cirenne’s music reflects upon borders, real-world conditions and explores imagined utopias. They weave scenes and soundscapes that are at once dense, rich and mellifluous, spacious, dancing and angular. Hailing from Bristol, UK, the duo brings together Celeste Cantor-Stephens (TORU, Shabbos Ranks) and Caelia Lunniss (Spindle Ensemble, Terra Coda). Cirenne won the Bubbe Award's People's Choice Award for Best New Klezmer Composition (2022), and have been featured on BBC Radio 3.

“Their air of dancing humour recalls the compositions of New York avant-garde street musician Moondog or the spaciousness of American string group the Kronos Quartet” –Benny Dart, Cafe OTO

Based in Bristol, the duo comprises Celeste Cantor-Stephens (trumpet / electronics / toys / compositions) and Caelia Lunniss (violin / viola).

Sonny Brazil

Sonny Brazil is a Folk singer and Squeeze Box Player from the south east of England. Sonny lives entrenched in the world of english folk culture, working as a crew member on Thames Sailing Barges and living on the Canals; they are one of the founding members of the folk collective Goblin Band described by Martin Carthy as "The band we've been waiting for".

Sonny's unique style of folk performance stems from the Queer folk scene in south London. In keeping folk music alive and viewing it through a queer, anti colonial, anti capitalist lens, Sonny does their bit to carry on the living tradition in a way that sparks new energy into the old songs.

Queenborough Harbour:
Saturday 21 June, 3pm David Nettleingham Artists Talk
Saturday 21 June, 7pm Benjin / Cirenne performance

Sailing performances:
Sunday 22 June 5.00-8.00pm SAIL: Benjin with Mataio Austin Dean & Sonny Brazil. Depart Queenborough Harbour arrive Benfleet Yacht Club

Book for events on Raybel at Queenborough All Tide Landing (Limited Capacity)

Book ticket

Book for Sailing Performance on Raybel travelling from Queenborough and back (Limited Capacity) 

Book ticket

Important information:

Physical Activity: The event includes walking on uneven, slippery, and muddy terrain, as well as a short boat trip

Inherent Risks: Participation involves natural risks such as changing tides, weather conditions, and wildlife encounters. If the weather is not suitable, the structure of the day will change. It might be hot, so please bring a bottle of water, use suncream and sun hat.

Safety Equipment: Buoyancy aids will be provided and must be worn at all times during the boat trip.

Footwear: Please wear suitable non slip footwear.

Personal Responsibility: You confirm that you are physically capable of participating and accept full responsibility for any injury, loss, or damage incurred during the event.

Liability Waiver: Estuary Festival and its partners are not liable for any injury, loss, or damage sustained during these activities, except in cases of proven negligence.

Project photo by Raybel Charters.