Tidelines
Tidelines is a small, community-led CIC based in the Exe estuary, bringing together arts, science, communities and citizen-led research to build greater connections with the natural world. Tidelines is made by its community of participants, and devised and managed by project co-ordinators Anne-Marie Culhane and Jo Salter…
What do you do?
We work with people of all ages to create inspiring ways to come together in collaboration to celebrate the place we live in, to care for it and to find ways to adapt and respond to a rapidly changing world, focusing in particular on the Exe estuary and coast. The climate emergency and the catastrophic loss of biodiversity in recent decades is impacting on the place we live and all our futures. Tidelines works as much as possible in outdoor spaces – estuary, river, parks, gardens – sometimes indoors in community buildings, and occasionally online. We are exploring the whole ecosystem that we live in; we are shaped by the places we live. Exeter is a tidal city, and for Tidelines this is the living waters of the estuary, river and sea, and all the beings that live in and around them, including us humans!
Body of Water, creative lab on water quality, with local people, scientists, local organisations, and artists Shelley Castle and Kathy Hinde, July 2021
How did you get started?
In 2020 (at the start of the pandemic), we were funded in part to bring University of Exeter research out into the community, and to work with people to find out what they were concerned about and interested in. The aim was to involve them in research or use this to inform research, which is really important for a civic university that has declared climate and ecological emergency. We develop people’s questions and concerns into research strands, which are led by artists, scientists and people in the community together.
Who do you work with and why?
People of all ages, local people, people with specialist knowledge: scientists, fisher people, local historians, other artists and arts organisations, swimmers, walkers… anyone who values the place we live and is interested in building community and connecting to and caring for the wider natural world. Organisations we work with include the University of Exeter, Marine Biological Association, art.earth, the Met Office, Devon Libraries, Westcountry Rivers Trust and East Devon District Council.
What keeps you going when things get tough?
We are motivated by love for the place we live, the amazing people we meet through our work, the awesome creativity and diversity of nature, and deep concern about the changes taking place here and in other places. We are passionate about democratising knowledge and research, and bringing people together around shared interest, care, concern, celebration and action. We enjoy creating spaces for people to join up ideas, learn new things, try something new, and feel part of something bigger than themselves – feeling the wonder and awe of the living world.
Name one thing that would make your life easier as an organisation.
Our University research funding has ended, so we now need funds and support to keep going, to continue to develop our community-led model and to set up a small Tidelines lab that can work as a flexible research lab/gallery space/gathering space. This could be small and temporary, such as a converted shipping container with its own power – we don’t need anything fancy! If we were to go fancy, then an accessible floating lab, please!
Talk us through a favourite project.
We are currently working on a project called ‘Alive, Alive O!’ with a scientist, a musician and a group of singers, which is looking at blue mussels in the Exe and how they might respond to sound under or on the water. We are exploring the frequencies that mussels respond to as cues for settling, and at the same time learning more about their habitat in the Exe and their vital part in a healthy ecosystem. We are early on in this project but it has been great fun so far – who knew mussels and fish can ‘hear’? This is helping us to explore together what is in and under the water in our estuary, and potentially work with others to protect the mussel beds.
Alive Alive O! Creative lab on mussels and sound with Emma Welton, composer, and Sophie Nedelec, bioacoustics scientist, July 2022
What does the next year look like for you?
A project called ‘Salmon Run’ is coming up on Sunday 25 September, which we are very excited about. In the morning, a community relay of people will set off up-river from Exmouth, running through the city of Exeter to the wooded valleys of Exmoor, connecting to the story of Atlantic salmon in our river and estuary. It is a pilot project of the Creative Arc, a unique collaboration between the University of Exeter, Exeter City Council and The Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery to explore how the museum and its collections can help shape a better Exeter.
The relay of different ages and abilities will pass hand to hand a salmon ‘icon’ from the sea to the spawning grounds – a journey of 50 miles. The story of the salmon tells us about climate change, changing water temperatures in seas and rivers, water flow and water quality, and barriers to movement in the river, in particular the weirs. Atlantic salmon numbers are rapidly declining around the world, and in our river there is a 10-year ban on netting because numbers are so low. We’ve been working with scientists, fish experts and RAMM curators to find out about the history of salmon on the Exe, their part in Exeter’s culture, experimenting with how fish actually see, learning about their remarkable journey and challenges, and will share all of this as part of ‘Salmon Run’.
There are short and long sections from 1 mile to 10 miles. with two of the shortest sections taking place in Riverside Valley Park. There will be people on hand to share their knowledge, passion and concern for the salmon, which are a keystone species, and an accompanying ‘Salmon Run’ podcast, imagery and performance. These fish occupy a critical and important place in our river’s ecosystem, culture and history, and can tell us much about the health of the environment. We’re inviting people to be part of this as a runner, a steward or to cheer on the running salmon!
You can email or sign up to our newsletter to let us know you are interested (running or being a Salmon steward) and we’ll send you more info.
What’s been the best moment for you or your group in the last year?
Because most of our work before this year was online due to Covid, a real peak moment for us was the High Water event, which involved 60 people from around the world gathering over 12.5 hours (between our high tides) and sharing stories, science and creative responses to the tides. Highlights included: speaking to someone live from a London houseboat where heron that had just landed; or Kathy Hinde’s live feeds from Bristol, including her time-lapse footage over the day of the heaving Bristol Channel; or swimmers at Weston Super Mare bobbing first thing in the morning and last thing at night on the evening high tide with their glowing floats; and a late-night story to close our event from a former lighthouse keeper on the Isle of Lewis, along with a dram of whisky! It was epic, exhausting and thrilling to travel round the world in this way, hearing from contributors from as far away as New York and the Sundarbans of Bangladesh!
Did lockdown affect your practice?
As well as our online work, we also created an activity called The Exe Estuary Box, which was posted or cycled out to hundreds of people around the estuary during lockdown with a range of different activities for people to do to share their experiences of living here. Boxes were returned to us, presented at two outdoor pop-up exhibitions, and helped formed the basis for development of our community-led research projects.
In what ways are you helping to put Exeter on the cultural map, nationally or internationally?
Exeter is a tidal city – its old name, Isca, means fish or water or river of fish. The flux of tides have determined its location and the abundance of wildlife, including the Atlantic salmon, have sustained it. It is connected to the transition grounds that are the estuary and the higher reaches, which bring water, nutrients and life through the city. Tidelines creates opportunities for interaction with our shared environment that develops common purpose in active caring. Tidelines is regularly invited to share its way of working with other groups nationally and has shared its practice internationally. Through High Water and other international links we connect to other coastal and estuarine communities. Our location shapes who we are and our future – coming closer to this through culture is very enriching and exciting.
What if..?
…we could face squarely the existential challenges and difficult questions that are here right now and the realities of the climate and ecological emergency? People in positions of power in local or national politics or larger organisations aren’t being clear with us about the immensity of the cultural shifts needed right now – this requires great courage and honesty. We don’t see it yet from our leaders, and people are crying out for it in order to get the mandate to do the work that really needs doing.
…we could publicly address and acknowledge the huge social, cultural and environmental injustices that are inherent in a capitalist growth society and ensure fairness, inclusivity and justice going forward? This would involve a massive amount of work, unpicking and repair, but without this essential work it’s hard to see a way forward.
…collaboration and working across disciplines and sectors was normal, and we could shake off the competitive and hierarchical model that riddles our social and cultural structures? This would be a joy, and so much work would get done, and better.
How do we find out more?
We have a lively website for more info and to join our mailing list. Email if you are interested in being a runner or a steward or want to know more about ‘Salmon Run’ on 25 September. You will be able to sign up as a runner from mid-August.