Threads for Tomorrow

What tales does our waste tell? Threads for Tomorrow breathes new life into discarded materials, transforming them into a celebration of sustainability, craftsmanship and cultural connection. At the heart of this commission is the embroidering together of 500 Beach of Dreams Silks, damaged in storms along the South Coast in 2023.

Renowned designer and textile artist Rahemur Rahman leads this ambitious project, collaborating closely with eight sewing groups based along the Thames Estuary, including the Whitechapel Sewing Group Inspire and resident Kinetika Studios sewing group, Kite Spirit. Each group is crafting its own unique and intricate silk panel, drawing on global craft techniques and infusing their designs with elements reflective of their local surroundings. These panels, made from fragments of the original silks, are embellished with naturally dyed threads and waste materials gathered from the banks of the Thames Estuary. The finished panels will form part of the sails for two contemporary, sampan-inspired mobile structures, co-designed by Rahemur and Kinetika.

One of the boats and a film documenting the project will be shown at Estuary 2025 festival hub at Knightswick Shopping Centre (Unit 2) on Canvey Island.

Adding to the spectacle, a vibrant carnival costume will be designed by artist Sarah Doyle in collaboration with Rahemur Rahman, students from the South Essex College Royal Ballet and Opera House Costume Construction degree course and the participating sewing groups, serving as a striking centrepiece. Rooted in themes of sustainable textiles, natural materials and dyes, pollution and the interconnectedness of the natural and built environments – including the Port of Tilbury – this commission invites reflection on the hidden stories within waste. It celebrates the resilience of materials and communities alike, offering a compelling testament to the beauty that can emerge through reinvention, collaboration, and shared creativity.

Commissioned for Beach of Dreams. Beach of Dreams, presented by Kinetika, is a UK-wide coastal arts festival activating and exploring the unique heritage, cultures and climate futures of our coastlines.

About the partners

Kinetika is a charity and a National Portfolio organisation of Arts Council England. Kinetika unites communities through exceptional silk-based designs and public spectacles that inspire social action and enrich local environments. Guided by a vision to pioneer community-driven art and design, we aspire to ignite enduring positive change, celebrate cultural diversity, and cultivate resilient, sustainable communities worldwide. Our 28 years of experience champions an adaptable and accessible approach to co-creating designs in silk. Our methods engage diverse communities, enhance social cohesion and foster a sense of pride and belonging.

Beach of Dreams, presented by Kinetika, is a UK-wide coastal arts festival activating and exploring the unique heritage, cultures, and climate futures of our coastlines. This major interdisciplinary creative programme featured ambitious new participatory art commissions, creative walks, and events that took place across the coasts of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, as well as digitally, from 1 May – 1 June 2025. Beach of Dreams served as a platform for celebrating, reflecting on, and imagining new possible climate futures for our coastlines and planet.

T100 is a year-round walking, talking and making programme that encourages multiple stories to surface in Thurrock. T100 continues to grow each year, gaining new activities and events, new walkers, new routes and new partners to support the programme. What began as a walking celebration of Thurrock – 10 miles, 10 walks, 10 days, has developed into an outdoor arts festival stretching along and across the estuary into Southend and Kent, hence the name T100. Over the last ten years, T100 has travelled on a journey with a growing team of local volunteers, one year spontaneously building the theme for the next, all the time drawing more people in through a range of arts activities. T100: Our River is the 2025 festival.

Estuary Festival shines a spotlight on the Thames Estuary region through high-quality contemporary arts programmes that celebrate the stories, places and people of the Thames Estuary. Estuary 2025 (21-29 June) focuses on the water itself with a contained and focused programme that explores and engages in-depth. Taking the theme of ‘Vessels’ the festival looks beyond the boats and ships that move in and out of the Thames Estuary, to think about the festival as a vessel for creative action and explore ideas relating to estuary people and the more-than-human beings that live here as holders of ideas, stories, memories and hopes for the future.

Start Thurrock is a 'Creative People and Places' programme funded by Arts Council England. We work in partnership with the people of Thurrock to help you choose, produce and take part in brilliant arts and cultural experiences on your doorstep.

Participating Sewing Groups:

Inspire (East London); Kite Spirit (Purfleet); Leigh Three (Leigh-on-Sea); North Kent College – Art and Fashion Students (Dartford); Red Hot Stitchers (Shoebury); Seevic – USP College – Fashion Students (Benfleet); Subrang Arts (South London); YM Workshops (Purfleet).

Costume:

Sarah Doyle and South Essex College Costume Construction Students

Project Image: Threads for Tomorrow Workshop, North Kent College, Rahemur Rahman_Beach of Dreams Photo by Anne Tetzlaff.

When

Saturday 21st June 2025 to
Sunday 29th June 2025

Where

Knightswick Shopping Centre (Unit 2) Furtherwick Road side
Canvey Island
SS8 7AD

Travel

Nearest train station: Benfleet (c2c) + bus 21 or 27

Access

Wheelchair accessible / ground floor.

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