Thought Forms

Ben Judd's new site-specific participatory work will be located on Medway River - on Fort Darnet, a nineteenth-century military installation on a small island. The work, which will transport audience members to the island by boat, will be a development of Judd's recent large-scale participatory works, all exploring ideas around community and islands, both real and imaginary.

Ben Judd's work considers ideas around borders, belonging and sovereignty, reflecting on wider global contexts such as the rise of nationalism. This new work is part of a cycle which examines how a group might define themselves in relation to others, and how this is explored within the bounded space of a boat or an island.

The work will respond to folklore associated with the nearby Isle of Sheppey which suggests that until 653 CE the residents of the island thought they were alone in the wilderness, even though they could see mainland Britain from their own shoreline. They believed the nearby coastline to be a reflection, and that Sheppey was situated in a large mirror box. The folk tale concludes when a member of the community built a canoe and made the journey to the mainland at which point they realised they were not alone.

The boat journey is considered as an alternative model of being together; as a vehicle for escape, transformation or change, enhanced by the dreamlike qualities of being on the water and of being suspended, or between worlds. Within storytelling and the imagination, the island is both a place to escape to and is somewhere on which we are marooned, it is both a destination and a point of departure. Within these contexts, the island suggests (and embodies) conflicting ideas of separateness and togetherness; an isolated utopian project where narratives can be invented, reused and recycled within a relatively closed society.

Event schedule

21 June: 19:40-21:40 - BOAT DEPARTS at 19:40 - please arrive at the Yacht Club by 19:15

22 June: 8:30-11:30 - BOAT DEPARTS at 8:30 - please arrive at the Yacht Club by 8:00

25 June: 11:10-13:10 - BOAT DEPARTS at 11:10 - please arrive at the Yacht Club by 10:40

28 June: 13:40-15:40 - BOAT DEPARTS at 13:40 - please arrive at the Yacht Club by 13:15

29 June: 14:30-16:30 - BOAT DEPARTS at 14:30 - please arrive at the Yacht Club by 14:00

Ben Judd’ Thought Forms will take audience members on a 30-minute boat journey to a small island on the River Medway for a one-hour immersive, participatory experience.

Book your ticket (Limited Capacity)

Book ticket

The boat transport to Fort Darnet has been provided by  Medway Yacht Club.

Performers

Surya Dev Chandra

Yutong “Arina” Yang

Jingsheng Gu

Adane Shikur 

Angeliki Anargyrou

Dionysios Tsaftaridis

Giannis Sfiris

Marietta Sarri

Choreographer

Dionysios Tsaftaridis

Composer

Giannis Firis

Costume design

Roma Taylor

Nirrhit Pal

Yuanjia Cai 

Huizhong Li

Zhenrong Gu

Fangqi Ding

Christina Tang

Supported by

Arts Council England

Royal College of Art

Nottingham Trent University 

Medway Yacht Club

In partnership with 

Estuary Festival

Medway Yacht Club

Sail Trader

Rochester Site Services Ltd

University of Kent

Important Access Information - please read:

Participants will need to be able to get on and off a boat and to walk on rough, uneven ground.

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.

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

Footwear: Please wear suitable footwear, such as wellington boots, to navigate the muddy estuary safely and keep your feet dry. Please bring a spare pair of shoes to put on for the return boat journey.

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 Image: Ben Judd, The Push & the Pull, 2022. Photograph by Sophia Nasif.