Serpentine presents 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. 

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 interweaves stories, poetry and reflections around a seven-song oratorio.  

The performance is 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 reflects 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 will also star 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 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.

Saturday 26 November
19.30
Cadogan Hall