Beach of Dreams was an epic journey to walk 500 miles over 35 days down the east coast of England, exploring how to take better care of the coast and wider environment, as well as the communities who live there.
Unique naturally-dyed silk pennants were created for each mile of the walk, coloured to represent the natural landscape of the coast. Participants were invited to choose a mile of the route that meant something special to them and submit images and words about it. Pennant designs were inspired by these images from participants, who proudly carried them along the relevant mile.
All media including films, photos and a daily blog by Guardian writer Kevin Rushby, can be explored on the Story Map, which recorded the narrative of the walk as it unfolded: https://arcg.is/1OXPiP0
Enquiries to bring Beach of Dreams to new areas are welcome.
Full list of funders and credits.
Ali Pretty is the founding member and artistic director of Kinetika. Since 2012 Ali’s practice has been to develop transformational walking arts projects with diverse communities which bring people together by walking, talking and painting large-scale silk creations. Ali has led walking projects in Wiltshire, Isle of Wight, Lincolnshire, Essex and Thurrock, where she has developed an annual walking, talking and making festival Thurrock 100. This pioneering place-making model has been replicated internationally in various forms in Ethiopia, Chile and India. Her most ambitious project was Silk River, commissioned by the British Council for the UK/India year of Culture 2017.