Sea Like a Mirror - Whitstable

Join us in Whitstable for the opening weekend of Sea Like a Mirror  – an ambitious national partnership programme marking the 200th anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, inspired by the profound legacy of their life-saving work and the special status its volunteer crews occupy in the collective consciousness of our island nation.

At the heart of the programme is a newly commissioned artwork, White Horses, by Ivan Morison, by a series of commissions by local artists, made in collaboration with the area’s community and in dialogue with Ivan’s central artwork. In Whitstable and Gravesend these are Jas Dhillon’s Words on the Wind, and Cherelle Sappleton & Tom Morris’ Still Waters.

About White Horses

White Horses by Ivan Morison comprises a new 16mm film screened within a unique touring venue, accompanied by an original score from composer Chris Hope, based on field recordings by the artist.

Produced through a series of visits to lifeboat stations and seaside towns around the country, the work presents a multifaceted portrait of the sea and the nation’s coast, and those with a deep connection to the water – it forms a personal mediation on the feelings evoked by these places and the many conversations and meetings they hold.

In particular, the film draws on the distinct state of readiness that RNLI volunteers exist within. It uses this unique position to explore the sea’s innate duality as a place of wonder and peril, and the myriad roles it plays for coastal communities.

In an evocation of bygone cinema traditions, some screenings of White Horses will be preceded by a classic Popeye episode from 1960, in which Popeye works the night shift at Finnan Haddie’s Herring Cannery, protecting the factory stock from the notorious Herring Snatcher. 

About Still Waters

Taking inspiration from water as a source and site of relaxation, Still Waters is an immersive new sound work by Cherelle Sappleton & Tom Morris, co-created with young people at Northfleet Technology College.

Through field recording trips, sound editing workshops, and autonomous musical performances, the work has emerged out of a process of learning and exchange between the artists and young people – facilitating a shared exploration of their relationship to water through experimental sound practice.

Echoing the format of a ‘sound bath’, Still Waters functions as a collaborative response to Northfleet’s local waterways. It asks how sound practices might be used to create moments of calm and relaxation, while also opening up reflection on the different associations people have with water.

About Words on the Wind

Through conversation, communion, letter writing, and ceremony, Words on the Wind by Jas Dhillon considers 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.

Inspired by the timeless notion of the ‘message in a bottle’, therapeutic practices of journaling, and spiritual traditions around the world – where fire, water, and wind are used as conduits to carry dreams and prayers to life, deliver messages to people in other realms, and symbolically carry away energies that no longer serve us – Words on the Wind invites participants to join a workshop, put pen to paper and commit their message to be transformed by fire and carried on the wind.

Combining this sacred symbolism with the amplifying and soothing power of communal song, each presentation of Words on the Wind concludes with a ceremony at the water’s edge, where participants are invited to offer their written pieces to the fire and join a ceremonial singing circle, hosted by sound healer, singer-songwriter, performer, vocal expansion guide, and community organiser, Lauriem.

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. With thanks to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Supported with public funding from Arts Council England. Presented in Gravesend for Estuary 2025 with Estuary Festival.