Maritime Traces: Expedition

Project Leads: Emma Harry and Laura Copsey

Number of participants: 11

Duration: 5 days

Project Outline:

Inspired by an oral history/maritime folk song ‘Three Score and Ten’ related to a great storm that effected the East Coast of England over 100 years ago, join us on a field trip to the heritage sea-side town of Great Yarmouth on the Norfolk coast. During the week, we intend to explore how the sea has impacted on the heritage and landscape and how its enduring presence continues to play a role within the town.

Known to locals as simply Yarmuf, Great Yarmouth is a thin strip of land sandwiched between the eroding forces of the North Sea and the River Yare, located on a fragile stretch of coastline of eroding cliffs and land-slip. The East Coast is an ever shifting layered location. Millions of day trippers visit yearly to try their luck on the 2p machines, but just below the surface we will find a haven for historical, natural and industrial traces.

During the week we will collaborate and run workshops for each other to facilitate personal responses to the site via different actions. If some participants would like to lead workshops we would be very supportive of this and can discuss this on the first day to help facilitate this as you need.

We also have planned research visits to the Lowestoft Maritime Museum, a historic boat yard and we will use walking as a method of research. This trip would be particularly suited to those interested in traces, time, heritage and site-specific enquiry.

We hope our collective research will lead to personal or collaborative responses we can exhibit or perform at a group exhibition starting on the 26th November 2018.

This trip leads on from last year’s AcrossRCA project ‘Islands’ to the Isle of Sheppey off the coast of Kent. Laura and Emma are both Alumni of Visual Communication with an interest in the traces within landscapes. For Laura this manifests in heritage and human endeavor; for Emma how geological time is mapped through erosion.

Timetable:

Day 1
(Monday AM) – Introductory day at RCA (RoomDAR824) including an introduction to the project by Laura and Emma and a shanty song workshop.

Day 2
(Tuesday) – Expedition to Great Yarmouth: We will take the train to Great Yarmouth then go on a walk around the town including workshops eg. using the concept of the dérive to explore and discover. We will stay in a Bed and Breakfast.

Day 3
(Wednesday) – A beach walk in nearby town Lowestoft, exploring this heavily eroding coastline with large sea defences, its history and constant evolution. A look around Lowestoft Museum and a boat yard tour. Another night in the Bed and Breakfast.

Day 4
(Thursday) – Workshops/explorations in Great Yarmouth plus a visit to the Time and Tide Museum. Train back to London in the evening.

Day 5
(Friday AM) – Back at RCA (RoomDAR824) – Reflections on the trip and informal chat over a shared lunch, considering how we would like to visualise and synthesise our research for an exhibition in November

Follow up exhibition at the Courtyard Gallery, RCA Kensington on the week beginning 26th November 2018.Participants are asked to contribute towards the costs for 2 nights accommodation in Great Yarmouth – £20 in total. Participants will need to cover train fare to Great Yarmouth (currently £17.50 return with student discount) and meals, but breakfast is included.