‘Wrecked on the Intertidal Zone’ is an artist-led project, which sets out to uncover and highlight local, situated knowledge about the changing ecological, social and industrial arena of the Thames estuary. Artists YoHa, Critical Art Ensemble and locally engaged artists Andy Freeman and Fran Gallardo, with The Arts Catalyst, are collaborating with local ecologists, fishermen, ex-industrialists, engineers, interest groups, and the general public in Southend and Leigh-on-Sea. All the videos are filmed by the artists and local people and edited by Acacia Films, Alistair Oldham and his team in Bristol.

The Thames Estuary

The north bank of the Thames Estuary and its salt-marsh is the last dwindling wilderness zone close to London. An internationally important biodiverse habitat for sea molluscs, wild fowl and a vital fish nursery. Yet the 5 million visitors that come to Southend-on-sea each year know very little about the cultures, species, genealogy that inhabit the Thames estuary. Nor do they notice the hundreds of thousands of containers moving up the flood tide bringing exotic items from China to Tilbury or the London Gateway. Goods increasing in value by the distance they travel from source, burning cheap bunker fuel and creating asthma all the way. The estuary is also a historic space of sea foods, landfill sites, early dynamite factories, industrial exploitation and toxicity created by the Thames being used as the plumbing, and larder of London.

By fostering a critical creativity, through a series of public artworks including, eating and smoking, salvage operations,boat building fishing. Wrecked in the Intertidal Zone will offer those visitors to Southend-on-sea the chance to engage with a lens from the sea and for local people explore how art can represent/initiate local knowledge into the realm of governance that presides over the Thames Estuary.

Graveyard of Lost Species


Dirty Talking, Tongue First


Line in the Sand