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A spontaneous decision to invite the crew of the visiting Spanish El Galeón Andalucía and representatives from the Port of London Authority (PLA) to discuss the art of sailing historic vessels on the modern Thames quickly turned into a lively and insightful exchange. With a bustling crowd in attendance, the event explored the challenges of navigation, maritime heritage, and the connection between past and present sailing techniques. El Galeon Andalucia and PLA < Back 19 September 2024 A spontaneous decision to invite the crew of the visiting Spanish El Galeón Andalucía and representatives from the Port of London Authority (PLA) to discuss the art of sailing historic vessels on the modern Thames quickly turned into a lively and insightful exchange. With a bustling crowd in attendance, the event explored the challenges of navigation, maritime heritage, and the connection between past and present sailing techniques. Previous Next El Galeón Andalucía & Port of London Authority at the Fourth Portal A spontaneous event on a chilly Tuesday afternoon saw the crew of El Galeón Andalucía and representatives from the Port of London Authority (PLA) gather at the Fourth Portal for an engaging discussion on navigating historic vessels in modern waterways. What began as an informal conversation quickly transformed into a lively and insightful exchange, enriched by performances from poets, storytellers, and musicians. With a bustling audience eager to explore maritime heritage, navigation challenges, and the deep connections between past and present sailing techniques, the event became a unique blend of discussion and artistic expression of poetry, storytelling, song, music making and lively discussion, bringing history to life in a truly immersive way. El Galeón Andalucía Visits Gravesend In September 2024, the El Galeón Andalucía made its inaugural visit to Gravesend, docking at the historic Town Pier from the 11th to the 22nd. This impressive 55-meter replica of a 16th to 18th-century Spanish galleon offered visitors a unique opportunity to explore its five decks, providing an immersive experience into maritime history. As part of an extensive European tour, the ship aimed to educate the public about the legendary vessels that once connected continents. During its stay, El Galeón Andalucía attracted numerous guests eager to learn about its historical significance and the lives of sailors who once voyaged aboard such ships. Navigating the Thames: A Conversation with the PLA & El Galeón Crew As part of its visit, El Galeón Andalucía participated in an impromptu talk at the Fourth Portal, alongside representatives from the Port of London Authority (PLA). The discussion explored the complexities of navigating a historic sailing vessel along the River Thames, touching on the challenges posed by tidal currents, modern river traffic, and the adaptation of traditional sailing techniques to contemporary waterways. This rare insight bridged historical maritime practices with present-day navigational expertise, bringing together past and present in a unique setting. Insights from El Galeón's Crew Andrea, the bosun of El Galeón Andalucía, provided a fascinating look into the demands of maintaining a historic sailing vessel. She spoke about the intricacies of traditional sailing practices, the challenges of managing the ship’s complex rigging system, and the crucial role of the boatswain in ensuring smooth daily operations. Andrea also delved into the complexity of navigating the River Thames using paper charts, demonstrating the skill required to maneuver such a grand vessel through dynamic waters. She was joined by Miguel, a volunteer crew member, on his first voyage aboard El Galeón Andalucía. Miguel shared his personal journey of adapting to life at sea, learning the ropes — literally — and the unique experience of working on a historically significant replica. Their combined stories brought the realities of sailing a galleon to life, offering the audience a rare glimpse into life aboard a traditional vessel. Port of London Authori ty: Keeping the Thames Ru nning John Dillon-Leetch, Port Hydrographer at the Port of London Authority (PLA), provided an in-depth look into the operations of the PLA, explaining his role in overseeing navigation, conservancy, and river management. He detailed the scale of maritime traffic entering the London Gateway and the intricate processes involved in keeping the river safe and navigable. As a final touch to the discussion, John delighted the audience with a traditional river folk song, bringing a moment of warmth and humour to the session — though we’ve promised not to share the video! A Visit to the Gravesend Gurdwara Before the event, the Fourth Portal took Andrea and Miguel to meet Jagdev Singh Virdee, who welcomed them to the Gravesend Gurdwara — one of the largest Sikh temples in Europe. Jagdev led a fascinating tour of the stunning Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, explaining its rich history, architectural significance, and role within the local community. As a place of worship, learning, and service, the Gurdwara offers free meals daily in its Langar Hall, embodying Sikh values of hospitality and equality. For Andrea and Miguel, accustomed to the rhythms of life at sea, the visit provided a unique cultural exchange, offering them insight into the diverse heritage of Gravesend before they returned to El Galeón Andalucía. About El Galeón Andalucía El Galeón Andalucía is a meticulously crafted replica of a 16th-century Spanish galleon, constructed by the Nao Victoria Foundation in 2009. Spanning approximately 50 meters with six decks, this full-rigged ship serves as a floating museum, offering visitors an immersive experience into Spain’s maritime heritage. Since its launch, El Galeón Andalucía has sailed over 70,000 nautical miles, visiting ports across four continents and participating in numerous cultural projects. Port of London Authority (PLA): A River’s Lifeline Established in 1909 under the Port of London Act 1908, the Port of London Authority (PLA) is a self-funding public trust responsible for overseeing the tidal River Thames and its continuation into the North Sea. The PLA’s duties include maintaining navigation, ensuring safety, and protecting the river’s environment. Historically, the PLA was created to bring order to the congestion of the Thames, as rival wharves and docks competed for business in the late 19th century. Today, it remains crucial to the safe and sustainable management of the river, supporting both commercial and leisure activity. A Unique Exchange of Cultures and Maritime Knowledge The event at Fourth Portal was an unexpected yet enriching gathering, where historic maritime traditions, modern navigation, and local cultural heritage intertwined. From the open decks of a Spanish galleon to the worship halls of a Sikh temple, the experience showcased the diverse, interconnected stories that shape Gravesend’s riverfront today. The conversations sparked that day will undoubtedly continue to resonate, as visitors left with a deeper appreciation of the river, the ships that sail it, and the communities that thrive along its banks. Visit Event Page MORE ON THIS EVENT BELOW Previous Next Event Documentation Previous Next

All Improv Perfomers All Improv Gigs Manuel Miethe Soprano Saxophone, Conductor Performer Bio (Max 1000 characters) London and South East improv gigs London Improvisers Orchestra #38 9 July 2025 Performer notes, message or style description http://Website or social media email or phone number

All Improv Perfomers All Improv Gigs Barry Edwards Guitar Performer Bio (Max 1000 characters) London and South East improv gigs FlimFlam 29 October 2025 Performer notes, message or style description http://Website or social media email or phone number

All Improv Perfomers All Improv Gigs Tara Vavana Performer Bio (Max 1000 characters) London and South East improv gigs SKRONK #3 7 May 2016 Performer notes, message or style description http://Website or social media email or phone number

All Improv Perfomers All Improv Gigs Ian Smith Flugelhorn / Guitar Performer Bio (Max 1000 characters) London and South East improv gigs Boat-Ting Feb19 4 February 2019 Boat-Ting Feb 2019 http://Website or social media email or phone number

All Improv Perfomers All Improv Gigs Iris Colomb Text & Objects Performer Bio (Max 1000 characters) London and South East improv gigs Boat-Ting Nov25 3 November 2025 ImproVox #04 28 October 2024 Performer notes, message or style description http://Website or social media email or phone number

All Improv Perfomers All Improv Gigs Chris Freudenberg Performer Bio (Max 1000 characters) London and South East improv gigs SKRONK #4 19 July 2016 SKRONK #5 9 August 2016 SKRONK #6 23 August 2016 SKRONK #2 21 June 2016 SKRONK #3 7 May 2016 Load More Performer notes, message or style description http://Website or social media email or phone number

Gravesend Innovation Showcase 2024 events, locations, talks, speakers and times. < Back Meet Mechanismo - Engaging and Playful Robots Start Time 11:00 Running Time All Day Location 1-2, 14, 17 Popping Up Event Type Demonstration About the Event Introduction The Mechanismo team will be demonstrating their troupe of joyful robots that incorporate advanced sensing technology, four-wheel drive, and expressive movements. Come take one of the robots for a remote-controlled test drive, learn about what it takes to build a bot, and discover the surprises that emerge when humans and robots play together. More on the event lead Building on a lifetime of electronics engineering and digital fabrication, Andrew Payne founded Mechanismo in 2017 and has acted as Director ever since. He previously founded HexRay, a company specialis ing in CAD/CAM software with thousands of users worldwide. He is an accomplished artist and engineer, often exploring the themes of sustainability, biology and optimistic futures in his work. Nicky Cure is Mechanismo's Artistic Director. As an experienced creative practitioner with a background in arts education, Nicky employs "process-hacking" as a way to develop new, sustainable, and interdisciplinary methods and projects. She is an advocate for playful learning, and outside her work with Mechanismo, she is a musician and filmmaker. Event Information This event is Free All ages This event is ideal for tech enthusiasts, robotics hobbyists, families, educators, and anyone interested in playful, hands-on experiences with robots. It appeals to those curious about robotics, digital fabrication, and creative engineering, as well as those keen to see the intersection of art and technology in a fun, interactive setting. ___ Even more information ___ See the Crawly Bots dashing around the Fourth Portal in January 2024 Previous Next

< Back Freesound In The Era Of Generative Artificial Intelligence Freesound was started in 2005 in the Music Technology Group of Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain. Freesound aims to create a huge collaborative database of audio snippets, samples, recordings, and all sorts of bleeps, released under Creative Commons licenses that allow reuse. In an era of AI, what is the future of this important resource. Freesound Blog 9 Jun 2024 Opening and closing paragraphs from the Freesound blog. Opening Paragraph In recent years, the phrase Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become part of our everyday conversations. In particular, since the explosion of generative AI models like ChatGPT or other models that can generate high-quality audio (e.g. AudioGen , AudioLDM 2 , and Stable Audio Open , which has just been released and is trained with Freesound sounds), AI systems have demonstrated being capable of doing things which were unimaginable only some years ago. We don’t know how AI will impact society at large, but it is very clear that AI is here to stay and that it will more and more become an important element in our lives. This is raising concerns, for example, within the artistic community, AI can be seen as a potential threat to the way in which many artists make their living, and one that questions the values of effort, skill and creativity. Concerns about the potential impact of AI on a platform like Freesound have also been expressed in the Freesound forums. Here, at the Music Technology Group of Universitat Pompeu Fabra where Freesound happens , we have also been discussing such concerns. [...] Closing Paragraph The overall question is how to use and integrate AI technology in a way that benefits the Freesound community, and this is what we are starting to address with this blog post. At the Music Technology Group, we conduct cutting-edge AI research while considering its social, economic, legal, ethical, cultural, and artistic implications . Research is being carried out, not only by us but also by many other research institutions, which provides new ways to address the threats raised by AI, contributing to a fair and responsible AI. And, again, Freesound is a very important resource for such research. In a similar way in which Freesound became a great example of a sound-sharing ecosystem based on Creative Commons licences, we have the opportunity now to become an inspiring example of how AI can be used to empower a community and to articulate positive experiences for sound practitioners alike. https://blog.freesound.org/?p=2082 For more: AI, Audio, LLM, Machine Learning Previous Next

Gravesend Innovation Showcase 2024 events, locations, talks, speakers and times. < Back AI, Archaeology, Avatars and Pocahontas Start Time 13:15 Running Time 30 Minutes Location 1. St George's Church Event Type Discussion About the Event Introduction The event will open with presentations from Favour Borokini and Mercedes Baptiste Halliday, exploring their unique disciplinary approaches to collecting, categorising, and representing the past. Together, they will delve into how AI and avatars may influence memorialisation and narratives in the future, focusing on the locally significant story of Pocahontas, believed to be interred at St George's Church in Gravesend. This thought-provoking discussion invites audience participation, offering a chance to engage with how technology reshapes our understanding of heritage and history and its impact on future history. More on the event lead Favour Borokini I am a PhD student with the Horizon Centre for Doctoral Training, hosted at the Faculty of Computer Science at the University of Nottingham, where I am researching an ethical framework to address harms in immersive environments. I hold a Law degree from the University of Benin, Nigeria, and I am a member of the Nigerian Bar. Since my Call, I have worked in several technology policy and research roles where I have leveraged my legal training to investigate the impact of technology on human rights, particularly women's rights. At my previous organisation, Policy, I was proud to lead our groundbreaking research cataloguing the impact of AI on African women and the experiences of African women working in AI across various sectors. Mercedes Baptiste Halliday Mercedes Baptiste Halliday is an artist, archaeologist-anthropologist, currently completing a DPhil at the University of Oxford as an ESRC scholar, having previously studied at UCL and the University of Cambridge. Alongside this, she is the Youth Governance Lead at the Council for British Archaeology and founder of Black Archaeo, an organisation seeking to increase the engagement of Black and Brown people with archaeology, heritage, art and natural spaces. Event Information This event is Free All ages This event is ideal for those interested in history, heritage, and the evolving role of technology in shaping narratives of the past. It will appeal to academics, students, and professionals in archaeology, museum practices, AI, and cultural studies, as well as anyone curious about the intersection of technology and storytelling. If you’re passionate about exploring who controls historical narratives and how figures like Pocahontas are remembered in the digital age, this discussion is for you. ___ Even more information ___ More on Mercedes Baptiste Halliday https://www.anthro.ox.ac.uk/people/mercedes-baptiste-halliday More on Favour Borokini https://www.favourborokini.com Previous Next

All Improv Perfomers All Improv Gigs Sue Ferrar Violin Performer Bio (Max 1000 characters) London and South East improv gigs London Improvisers Orchestra #38 9 July 2025 London Improvisers Orchestra #37 8 March 2025 Performer notes, message or style description http://Website or social media email or phone number

All Improv Perfomers All Improv Gigs Tansy Spinks Violin Performer Bio (Max 1000 characters) London and South East improv gigs London Improvisers Orchestra #36 7 June 2025 Performer notes, message or style description http://Website or social media email or phone number