RAFTS: Live [Highlights] - Rory Pilgrim | Serpentine

In moments of change and transition, what supports us and keeps us afloat?
'RAFTS: Live' was a special one-night concert, bringing to life Rory Pilgrim’s film, 'RAFTS', beyond the screen. Created over three years with residents of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, 'RAFTS' was made for the exhibition Radio Ballads to explore stories of support in our everyday lives. Find out more about the project here: www.serpentine...
Taking the symbol of the raft as the simplest vessel of survival across open water and also a symbol that represents the Earth as the ultimate preserver of life, the concert interweaved stories, poetry and reflections around a seven-song oratorio.
The performance was narrated by Pilgrim’s collaborators Hugh, Carina, Liam, Butterfly, Katy, Dee, Mark, and Eddie - eight residents from Barking and Dagenham and members of Green Shoes Arts. Each reflected on what the symbol of a raft means to them. Making connections between work, mental health, home, recovery, and our environment, additional voices of people from near and far join the chorus, including members of Barking and Dagenham Youth Dance and Project Well Being: a group for people experiencing homelessness in Boise, Idaho, USA.
The concert also featured singers Robyn Haddon from Sheffield, Kayden Fearon from Barking and Dagenham, and Declan Rowe John from Boise, accompanied by the London Contemporary Orchestra and Rory Pilgrim on harp and piano.
'RAFTS: Live' invites you into a journey that uses prophecy, reflection and creativity to contemplate what we could need to navigate the future in times of change and uncertainty. Watch the full version here: • RAFTS: Live - Rory Pil...
Credits:
'RAFTS: Live' at Cadogan Hall was a project by Rory Pilgrim, created in partnership with Green Shoes Arts, Barking and Dagenham Youth Dance, Project Well Being (Interfaith Sanctuary, Boise, Idaho) and the London Contemporary Orchestra.
Civic Curators: Amal Khalaf, Elizabeth Graham and Layla Gatens
Executive Producer: Holly Shuttleworth
Production Manager: Andy Downie
Narrators: Eddie Paggett, Hugh Prior, Dee Pessoa, Carina Murray, Liam O’Connell, Mark Jones, Emily Butterfly Khoury, Catherina Rowland, Jacob Heiter
Soloists: Declan Rowe John, Kayden Fearon, Robyn Haddon
Dancers: Lara Pinto Wlodarczyk, Ruby Harris, Rome Martin-Whilby
Choir: Marged Siôn, Ben Francis, Rick Leigh, Todd Harris, Dan Lewis, Karoline Gable, Kate Marlais, Levi Heaton, Sophie Galpin, Seraphina D’Arby
Conductor: Jack Sheen
Harp and Piano: Rory Pilgrim
Flute: Clare Bennett
Clarinet: Alastair Penman
Horn: Anna Drysdale
Violin 1: Sophie Mather
Violin 2: Blaize Henry
Viola: Freya Hicks
Cello: Sergio Serra
Drums and percussion: Kai Akinde-Hummel
Production Coordinator: Bea Redweik
AV & Programme Design: Matthew Appleton
Sound Projection: Simon Hendry
Lighting Operation: Phil Jackson
Stage Manager: Cam Mitchell
Production Crew: Imogen Adshead
Production Assistants: Manuela Cochat, Gisou Golshani
Curatorial Assistant: Caterina Avataneo
Green Shoes Arts: Sam Miller
Barking Dagenham Youth Dance: Georgina Alexiou, Sharleen Red Fox Ferrol-Fulgence, Ashanti Fearon-Kerr
Choir Facilitator: Marged Siôn
London Contemporary Orchestra, Producer: Saloni Thakkar
London Contemporary Orchestra, Orchestra Manager: Amy Hinds
Animation Storyboard and Concept: Catherina Rowland
Animation: Yasmine Djedje-Fisher-Azoume
Photography: Matthew Ritson, Holly Smith
Videography: Cody G, Lila Rae
Editors: Ewan Michael Riley, Cody G
Colourist: Cristina Giribets
'RAFTS' was commissioned by Serpentine Civic for 'Radio Ballads', in partnership with New Town Culture, a Cultural Impact Award-winning project, part of London Borough of Culture, a Mayor of London initiative.