Art & Culture
Virtually jump onboard Lightship 93 to enjoy Braintown
‘Ship Building’ was a Research and Development project produced by Certain Blacks in collaboration with Svalbard, supported by the Royal Docks Team as part of the Join the Docks 2020 Research and Development funding.
Please note: This piece is rated 15+, it contains brief nudity that is not appropriate for younger audiences.
Braintown was created by performance company Svalbard in collaboration with Deadbeat Films and was produced by Certain Blacks as part of its research and development project, Ship Building.
The R&D was commissioned as part of Join the Docks 2020. As part of the R&D process, audiences could watch an R&D performance via livestream that took place on board the iconic Lightship 93, a former Trinity House lighthouse boat moored in Royal Victoria Dock in the Royal Docks.
We were so excited to be part of the first Join the Docks programme with Ensemble Festival last year and are extremely proud to be back working with the team again in 2020.
Clive Lyttle, Certain Blacks
This performance of Braintown is part of research and development project Ship Building, a large body of creative work being developed by Certain Blacks in partnership with Svalbard and Deadbeat Films. Svalbard used their signature blend of live music, contemporary dance, circus, and cinematography to explore the human brain and the architecture of the lightship in this collaborative performance.
Ship Building takes its name from Elvis Costello’s anti-war song and responds to COVID-19, Brexit and Black Lives Matter, all societal events which have been likened to war. The wider Ship Building programme seeks to explore what it is to be British and diverse in these challenging times.
Clive Lyttle from Certain Blacks says:
“We were so excited to be part of the first Join the Docks programme with Ensemble Festival last year and are extremely proud to be back working with the team again in 2020.
“Our project this year will incorporate a number of performances, Braintown is the first of these, and we look forward to bringing the best of contemporary culture to the heart of the Royal Docks community!”
