Seeding the idea of Hulked

The Last Berth of the Sailorman Research Report by The Society for Sailing Barge Research

In November 201, Creative Estuary’s Ideas Lab online programme paired business people, university researchers and independent artists to create projects based around the theme of creative heritage in and around the Thames Estuary.

Through a series of very well-curated online workshops, Anna Braithwaite (musician and composer), Edward Gransden (Tiller & Wheel), Prof. Katharine Cockin (University of Essex) and Dr Jeremy Scott (University of Kent) were introduced to one another and found areas of common ground from which to begin to build a creative project.

Thus, ‘Hulked’ was born. Its final form wasn’t yet clear, but it evolved through a process of archival research, interviews with members of the barge community (including surviving members of the vessels’ crews), creative writing, the curating of traditional music, sound art and live performances. The original funding proposal submitted to Creative Estuary was for funding to pilot 'Hulked'. They knew it would be a creative heritage project exploring the history of the Thames barges in Kent. The road seemed set, but the destination was not.