Flood House leaves the Thames Estuary

After five weeks of roaming through the Thames Estuary, the Flood House programme has come to an end. Thanks to everyone for your support - it’s been incredible!

Flood House at Southend Pier. Photo: Brotherton-Lock

More Flood House press and blogs

We’re delighted to receive so much coverage in the architecture, art, local & national press! As well as items listed in a previous post, here are some recent bits and pieces:

Observer Magazine
Hyperallergic
Art Monthly
Fast Company
Traction Magazine

Lots of people have been blogging about the project. Here’s a selection:
Simon Isaac
Rosanna Vitiello
Ken Worpole
Frontier

Flood House in the Observer Magazine, 22 May 2016

Kids’ workshops at Southend Pier

We’ve really enjoyed witnessing how children have interacted with Flood House - as a ‘thing’ out there in the landscape, as something to draw and reinterpret. Artist-led workshops with primary and secondary school kids were organised by the brilliant Sharon Byrne at Focal Point Gallery.

Photo: Sharon Byrne

The Electric Belles sing ‘John Ball’ at the launch of Flood House

Here’s a clip of the Electric Belles singing Sydney Carter’s ‘John Ball’ for the launch of Flood House on Southend Pier. The song is about equality and love and links to Ruth Ewan’s commission for Flood House: ‘All Distinctions Levelled’.

Ken Worpole at Focal Point Gallery

Come to Southend on Thursday to hear Ken Worpole talk about the nonconformist impulse in the Essex landscape.

Read his text for Flood House here

The talk is part of Focal Point Gallery’s programme of events for their current exhibition ‘The Peculiar People’ curated by Ellen Grieg.

Flood House in the press

We’re delighted to received so much interest and coverage over the last week. Here’s a selection:

Dezeen
Wallpaper
Disegno
Echo News
It’s Nice That
ArtAttack

Flood House at Southend Pier. Photo: Brotherton-Lock

Hundreds turn out for Flood House launch in Southend

The most beautiful of evenings for the launch Flood House in Southend on Saturday 30 April. The evening included a packed talk at Focal Point Gallery by Matthew Butcher and Jes Fernie, a walk along the pier, a sublime rendition of ‘John Ball’ by the Electric Belles, and Essex beer at the Pier Head.

Thanks so much to all who came! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

Please see our Facebook page for more photographs of the launch.

Photo by Big Screen / Focal Point Gallery, Southend

Joanna Quinn’s short story for Flood House

Joanna Quinn has written a short story entitled ‘Mudlark’ about a notional inhabitant of Flood House, surviving in a future flooded, dystopic landscape. A scientist and her daughter live off-grid, monitoring the conditions of the Estuary, surviving in a hostile environment in which divisions between rich and poor are extreme, and bloated corpses float out to sea.

Leigh-on-Sea, April 2016 Photo: Jes Fernie

Flood House event: Saturday 30 April, 4.30–8pm

Please join us to celebrate the launch of Flood House and Ruth Ewan’s commission on Saturday 30 April in Southend-on-Sea.

Meet at Focal Point Gallery at 4.30pm for a talk by Matthew Butcher and Jes Fernie and a chance to see the current exhibition The Peculiar People. We’ll then walk to Southend Pier to view Flood House, watch a performance of ‘John Ball’ by the Electric Belles, and have celebratory drinks at The Pier Head.

No need to book. All welcome.

Flood House launch, Southend-on-Sea, walk from Focal Point Gallery to pier. Photo: David Bullock

All Distinctions Levelled, Ruth Ewan

Ruth Ewan’s weathervane is now attached to Flood House and looks amazing. As well as being an instrument to measure the direction of the wind it also includes the word ‘LEVEL’, a reference to the rise and fall of the tide and a speech by 14th century radical itinerant priest John Ball. Read more about All Distinctions Levelled by Ruth Ewan.

Flood House has launched!

We are delighted to announce that Flood House has launched. After 18 months of negotiation, design work, partnership building and fretting, the structure has been transported from the Bartlett School of Architecture to the Thames Estuary and is now on the water at Dauntless Boatyard.

We are holding an event on 30 April in Southend-on-Sea, but if you’d like to see Flood House before then, make your way to Dauntless Boatyard, and have a drink at the amazing Barge Gladys. It’s five minutes walk from Benfleet Train Station (40 mins from London Fenchurch Street).

Email us at info@flood.house if you’d like more information. Visit the Mapping page for mooring information.

Flood House at Wakering Boatyard Photo: Brotherton-Lock