LV21 FILMS
WHOOP 2026
ANCHORED
A film documenting the premiere performance of ANCHORED a collaboration between LV21 and Scarabeus Aerial Theatre, reflecting on the scale of displacement of people across the world, as part of Refugee Week 2025 and Estuary 2025.
ENDURANCE - BRYAN HAWKINS
Combining Art, Artefacts and Archive, and encouraging exploration and imagination, this exhibition introduced visitors to the stories of two fascinating ships (The Endurance and The LV21) and re-imagined elements of the famous Endurance Antarctic Expedition of 1914-18. The exhibition highlighted the small stories of isolation, loneliness, companionship, fear, awe, terror, heroism, failings and triumphs experienced by Endurance’s crew alongside the endurance of seafarers and seafaring across time.
WHOOP HERITAGE FESTIVAL
Whose Hoo
A film documenting the pilot phase of the Whose Hoo Heritage Festival, produced by LV21, celebrating local heritage and bringing together inspiring stories, people and places from across the peninsular.
created together
LV21 is the lead cultural organisation of the Dartford & Gravesham Local Cultural Education Partnership, an emergent LCEP working together to ensure that all children and young people in the area have access to a high quality arts and cultural education offer that inspires and responds to their needs.
The Shipping Forecast
An exhibition featuring a collection of new pieces by the acclaimed Kent based textile artist, writer and lecturer Cas Holmes whose textile work is often inspired by her life, the journeys she makes, the places she visits and people she meets.
SILTings
A creative programme featuring new artworks and performances created in response to the rich heritage, forgotten stories and hidden histories of Gravesham riverfront.
BOOK LAUNCH
Patience Agbabi launches her new book The Time-Thief aboard LV21, June 2021, as part of the SILTings project. Patience Agbabi FRSL is a Gravesham based celebrated poet best known for her fourth collection, Telling Tales.
HELL OR HIGH WATER
A weekend of live art celebrating life’s transitions with tales of adversity, survival and inevitable
transformation. Due to Covid-19 restrictions now adapted into a digital event available for audiences to
experience and explore entirely online.
DA12 ERB
Patience Agbabi performs her poem DA12 ERB onboard LV21, written as part of her residency, Discovering Gravesham through the Arts. The project is kindly supported by Arts Council South East, Kent County Council and Gravesham Borough Council.
Lighting Up Gravesend
Resident artists and participants talk about their experiences onboard LV21 during a 5 month R&D project “Discovering Gravesham Through The Arts”.
Supported by Arts Council England, Kent County Council and Gravesham Borough Council.
What is resilience?
We were commissioned by Headstart Kent to produce a series of films about resilience to be used as educational aids on their newly launched website.
SoundBITES & SNAPshots
A preview of the first weekend of artist residencies in Gravesend, part of a wider research and development project Discovering Gravesham through the Arts. The project is kindly supported by Arts Council South East, Kent County Council and Gravesham Borough Council.
LV21 Heads To Gravesend
A short film by Jimi Taylor documenting LV21’s relocation to Gravesend to take part in Estuary Festival 2016.
Special events onboard LV21 during Estuary Festival included talks and workshops during Shorelines, and hosting visual art works as part of Points of Departure.
Feed The Rhino
Here’s a music video from our friends Feed The Rhino, shot onboard LV21 last month – the ship was definitely rocking.
LV21 has some pretty unique and versatile spaces. We’re also experienced in shooting, assisting or generally lending a hand on set if necessary. Get in touch if you want to find out more about booking the ship for your shoot, film or performance.
pARTicipate
A project by LV21 for HeadStart Kent using creative insight as a research tool. HeadStart Kent is funded by the Big Lottery Fund to support 10-14 year-olds.
Young people in Kent have defined ‘resilience’ as the ability to be mentally strong enough to bounce back from the problems in life. We want to equip young people to cope better with difficult circumstances before they become serious issues.
Six Ways To Wellbeing
A short film documenting the Six Ways To Wellbeing project working with Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Cohesion Plus and the Gravesend Grand.
The aim of this innovative programme was to raise awareness of the Six Ways to Wellbeing campaign and increase participation in the arts amongst young people aged 13 to 19 (up to 25 years for Special and Educational Needs), their families or carers and the wider population across the region.
James Worse
James Worse performing improvised percussion in the generator room. To find out more and listen to other 'Worsicles' visit jamesworse.bandcamp.com
LV21 Arrives in Medway
On 21.12.09 LV21 arrived at Gillingham Pier and our journey began. We’re still enjoying the ride.
Larga Vida 21.
InspireD Futures
A short film documenting Inspire and the launch of the BIG Arts Challenge journey with 70 Young Arts Leaders from 7 Kent schools collaborating with professional artists across art forms to explore Arts & Culture and to learn how artists work.
The BIG Arts Challenge invites children and young people of all ages across Kent schools to explore inspiring arts experiences, work alongside professional artists, connect with local arts organisations and learn about arts & culture as a workplace.
Lookout 21 Residency #01
A short film documenting the first Lookout 21 residency with Radio Arts and LV21’s radio expert Colin Turner aka G3VTT.
The Lookout aboard LV21 is much more than just a ship’s wheelhouse: it’s an observatory, a retreat for reflection, a laboratory for testing new ideas and experimentation, a meeting place for collaboration and networking, a workshop for sharing skills and developing innovative ideas…
Projection Mapping
In August 2012 LV21 took part in the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend. Using the event as a reference point, and taking inspiration from the worldwide amateur radio festival dedicated to the education and continued practice of radio and Morse code communication, Tom Beg produced this Projection Mapping. The animations feature messages written in Morse code visualised by dots and dashes. The installation transformed LV21′s internal spaces and proved to be a highlight for many of our visitors.
For more information and other work produced by Tom visit tombeg.com
Headstart Resilience Films
We were commissioned by Headstart Kent to produce a series of films about resilience to be used as educational aids on their newly launched website.
Young people in Kent have defined ‘resilience’ as the ability to be mentally strong enough to bounce back from the problems in life. We want to equip young people to cope better with difficult circumstances before they become serious issues.
Lookout
The seed of the Lookout project was first sown in May 2013 when artist Jessie Brennan took up residency in LV21′s Lookout prior to her solo show at Rochester Art Gallery in October 2013. Visitors were invited to participate in ‘blind drawing’ the Medway estuary from LV21′s deck. Filmed and edited by Gary Weston, LV21’s co-owner and director
Iron Gym
Iron Gym was a University of Kent led participatory public art project combining heritage sites and artefacts with sporting activities. The project aimed to connect past with present while interpreting cultural heritage in a novel manner.
CREATIVE PEOPLE & PLACES
LV21 was an establishing and core member of Creative People and Places Swale & Medway, an Arts Council funded project that aims to enable local people to shape the cultural provision of where they live.
Look About
Look About was a two-year mapping and collecting project led by Portsmouth based artist/geologist Jon Adams in response to Accentuate and the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad in the South East of England. This creatively driven, multilayered project weaved together science and art, digital and analogue, and Jon’s autobiographical experiences.
LV21 On The Strand Lido
Gary, co-owner and director of LV21, often documents creative projects led by other artists. He shot this film, Shadowplay at the Strand Lido, a community arts project by Wendy Daws that worked with a number of organisations and groups. LV21 supported the project and features prominently in the mural. We thought you’d like to see it. And Darren Hayman kindly provided the lovely music.
Music by kind courtesy of Darren Hayman from his Lido album:
Jubilee Pool – Lido
King’s Meadow – Lido | Remix by ISAN
hefnet.com/
Vintage Craft
The queens of coastal themed craft took up a week’s residency on board LV21 with a vintage seaside inspired souvenir shop and drop in workshops.
The Seaside Sisters made the most of LV21′s fascinating space with seaside themed sets, exhibiting their work with theatrical waves, a floral clock and Punch and Judy inspired displays. There were lots of activities and craft workshops for children and adults to join. Nick Brown of the rare vinyl record shop Intoxica treated us to a surf and nautical themed DJ set. And the enchanting singing mermaid aka soprano Sophia Brumfitt lured visitors deep into the bowels of the ship.
ARTIST RESIDENCY
The second short film in this series that documents day 3 of Figure Ground’s artist mini residency on board LV21.
20 ARTISTS COMMANDEER LV21
A short film documenting day 1 of Figure Ground’s artist mini residency on board Light Vessel 21. After taking inspiration from the ship and exploring the space the 20 selected artists returned in April 2011 to install their work.
Focal Point
Focal Point was a spectacular performance of aerial daredevilry and pyrotechnic explosions on board LV21, the finale of the FUSE Medway Festival. A unique commission by FUSE, the finale performance was a collaborative project bringing together LV21, Scarabeus Theatre, exponents of multi-disciplinary aerial performance, and creative pyrotechnicians The World Famous.
COLLISION AT VARNE
Former crew member Brian Packham recounts his time on board Light Vessel 21 when the ship was involved in a collision at Varne in June 1981.
Described as the worst Lightvessel collision in which the Lightvessel had survived.
