Kinetika: Gravesend

Building on 2017’s Silk River legacy, which connected communities along the lower Thames Estuary, Kinetika, led by lead artist Ali Pretty, continued to work with Silk River artists from five communities – Barking & Dagenham, Dartford, Purfleet, Gravesham and Southend – to create five silk batik banners, one for each community. The artists drew up a longlist of inspirational local women, past, present and future, either working in their communities or in the public eye across a range of professions. The public were invited to vote on social media to select the women who would be represented on the final banners.

The inspirational women who appear on the five banners encompass a huge range of experiences, occupations, backgrounds and talents, ranging from a nineteenth century physical-education-for-women champion to a 16-year-old Youth Mayor.

Kinetika is a women-led company specialising in high quality community projects. Through a variety of workshops and programmes Kinetika aims to nurture new artistic talent and engage communities, raising aspirations and building a sense of place.

Gravesend:

This banner features the following inspirational women selected from a public call for nominations:

Georgia Mae Fenton is 17 years old and won a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She features in the centre of the banner.

Parm Gill has developed and coached the successful girls team at the Gravesend Guru Nanak Football Club.

Enid Marx was an English painter and designer who taught at Gravesend School of Art. She was the first woman to be designated as Royal Designer for Industry and was well known for her textile designs for the London Transport Board. Her work has inspired the background patterns and swans.

“It was an empowering process, to bring so many local women artists together, and collectively discover the powerful line of Estuary women we come from, and simultaneously to look towards the younger generation who are making the most of the opportunities living and working along The Thames Creative Corridor offers to them.”
Kinetika’s Creative Director, Ali Pretty.

Kinetika is a women-led company specialising in high quality community projects. Through a variety of workshops and programmes Kinetika aims to nurture new artistic talent and engage communities, raising aspirations and building a sense of place.