Radio broadcasts from boats have a long history, with the iconic Radio Caroline making waves in the North Sea and inspiring music radio for years to come. On a smaller scale and with none of the radio piracy implications over the summer, artist Lucia Scazzocchio of Social Broadcasts has worked with young people from Blackburn to transform the much loved Bill Hunt barge into a floating micro-radio studio on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.
Over the Summer of 2024, from its mooring at Eanam Wharf, Drift became a live community radio station on the water, broadcasting the life and sounds of the canal, both with and by the people who are connected to this region of Lancashire which culminated in a day of live broadcast on Saturday 31st August.
In 2025 DRIFT has gone mobile as a pop-up structure, which has hosted programmes in both Blackburn and Nelson so far this year, with the National Festival of Making up next on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th July.
DRIFT: is a collaboration with Super Slow Way and Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council’s Young People’s Services
You can find a recording of our live broadcast from August 2024, as well as the individual shows and performances from the Drift project so far on our Mixcloud page.
Below you can find the final audio projects from our artists in residence time on the DRIFT project. More information about each of the projects below can be found here on our digital exhibition handout.
