Totally Thames 2021 empowers young artists with new projects for this year’s festival
Photography: Henry Reichhold
Wednesday 1st – Thursday 30th September 2021
Totally Thames is returning for 2021 with a wide-ranging programme of events celebrating the culture, history and environment of the River Thames, all of which will be made available online alongside in person events to ensure the festival is accessible to everyone.
The 2021 programme includes a number of exciting projects that are aimed at empowering and supporting young artists. The festival has always put young people at the heart of its programming, and 2021 will see Tide Changers and MSCTY support and promote young artists. Tide Changers is a development programme run by Thames Festival Trust that provides three early career artists under 30 with support to shape, develop and deliver their River Thames projects, with seed funding, marketing and development sessions.
The river is the heart of London, connecting the far corners of the city; MSCTY, led by BBC radio broadcaster and producer Nick Luscombe, seeks to introduce new creative links between locations along the river, through an innovative sound journey that builds a connection between the Royal Docks and London Bridge. Using MSCTY’s latest sonic placemaking programme, two new pieces of music have been made for Tower Bridge and London Bridge City Pier, as well as a soundtrack for the journey itself, with a unique composition inspired by the sights and sounds experienced on board an Uber Boat by Thames Clippers vessel.
Audiences can use a QR code and geolocation to listen to the songs on their mobile devices while exploring the different areas, including two tracks inspired by the historic Royal Docks; one located at the Thames Barrier, by Kazakh-British composer Galya Bisengalieva, and one located at Woolwich Foot Tunnel by Al MacSween, founder of award-winning music collective Kefaya. MSCTY x Thames is a collaborative project for Totally Thames 2021 with new commissions from MSCTY by Uber Boat by Thames Clippers and Team London Bridge, and existing pieces commissioned by The Royal Docks Team.
Further programming and events for Totally Thames 2021 will be announced soon. Events are subject to government guidelines on Covid safety.
For more information go to totallythames.org