Marking 125 years since Sir Ernest Shackleton first sailed to Antarctica aboard Discovery with Captain Scott, folk musician Georgia Shackleton presents a journey through music, history, and the sea — blending song, moving image, and conversation to honour the past while responding to the threat facing today’s oceans.
‘From the Floorboards’ is an evolved project from Georgia’s Shackleton Violin project. At its heart is the Shackleton Violin — an extraordinary instrument crafted from the floorboards of Shackleton’s former Edinburgh home. Its voice, carrying the weight of endurance, discovery, and adventure, was recorded aboard the historic RSS Discovery in Dundee.
For this special festival performance, music is interwoven with video footage from violin-maker Steve Burnett speaking about the instrument, alongside live visuals drawn from the recording sessions, expedition locations, and contemporary sea imagery. Joined by guitarist Aaren Bennett, Georgia presents songs written for our oceans and their struggling marine life, alongside music penned by Shackleton and his fellow explorers.
The event also includes a brief Q&A with Georgia about the project and the process of using songwriting to dig into history and raise awareness about conservation.
Tickets: £10
Part of City of Literature weekend — a Norfolk & Norwich Festival and National Centre for Writing presentation, programmed by the National Centre for Writing.
