We are delighted to announce Sea Like a Mirror, a new project by Ivan Morison, from the collaborative practice of Ivan Morison and Heather Peak. Presented in Gravesend as part of Estuary 2025, the project marks the 200th anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), and it is inspired by the profound legacy of their life-saving work.
At the heart of the project is Ivan's Morrison's new artwork, White Horses, commissioned to mark the 200th anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), and inspired by the profound legacy of RNLI's life-saving work and the special status its volunteer crews occupy in the collective consciousness of our island nation.
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, including oyster fishers, windfarm technicians, wild swimmers, 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.
Find out more about Ivan Morison
White Horses will be accompanied in Gravesend by two projects by local artists – Jas Dhillon’s Words on the Wind, and Cherelle Sappleton & Tom Morris’ Still Waters – made in collaboration with local communities. In dialogue with Ivan’s central artwork, these local projects will open conversations on wellbeing, history, the changing landscapes and identities of seaside towns, the spiritual role the water holds for communities, and the differing relationships to the sea in these diverse coastal settings.
About Still Waters
Taking inspiration from water as a source and site of relaxation, Still Waters is an immersive new sound work co-created with young people at Northfleet Technology College. Echoing the format of a ‘sound bath’, the installation, and accompanying live performances invite participants to engage with the composition, and asks how sound practices might be used to create moments of calm and relaxation.
About Words on the Wind
Through conversation, communion, letter writing, and ceremony, Jas Dhillon’s Words on the Wind draws on personal relationships and connections to the sea, and the natural elements of water, wind, and fire, to explore ideas of safety and connection in our physical, emotional, and spiritual worlds. The work invites participants to join a workshop, put pen to paper and commit their message to be transformed at a ceremony at the water’s edge, where they will offer their written pieces to the fire accompanied by a ceremonial singing circle hosted by Lauriem.
LOCATION
The Clarendon Royal Community Garden
Royal Pier Road, Gravesend DA12 2BE
SCHEDULE
Saturday 21 June
11:30-12:30 – White Horses Screening
14:00-15:00 – White Horses Screening
16:30-17:30 – Still Waters Live Performance
18:00-19:00 – White Horses Screening
Sunday 22 June
11:30-12:30 – White Horses Screening plus Q&A with Ivan Morison
14:00-15:00 – White Horses Screening
16:00-17:30 – Words on the Wind Workshop and Ritual Performance
Reserve your free place now through Cement Fields
Sea Like a Mirror is a partnership project led by Cement Fields, with Art Gene, Norfolk & Norwich Festival, North East Lincolnshire Council & East Marsh United, and Super Culture. Delivered in collaboration with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and supported with public funding from Arts Council England. Presented in Gravesend for Estuary 2025 with Estuary Festival.
Image credit: Ivan Morison, White Horses (production still), 2024. Courtesy of the artist.
