Film meditation brings river odyssey to life

Odyssey on the River Ouse is a new short film and spoken word meditation in which filmmaker and musician Danny Hammond shares his poetic thoughts about this famous English watercourse.

The film is the first in a series of shorts about rivers and life on the periphery in the UK and Danny says, "From the heartland of East Sussex flows the River Ouse, through grassland, villages and industrial netherworlds. Hiding dark histories of suicide, lost battles and spiritual shifts, this poetic journey charts the river’s course and all the life she affects on her way to the sea."

The video is the latest release from Caught by the River, described as an arts-nature-culture clash, "which began as an idea, a vision and a daydream, shared between friends." Contributors have created an online meeting place "for pursuits of a distinctly non-digital variety" and say their creative initiative, which has been going since 2008, is all about life’s small pleasures and stepping out of daily routines to re-engage with nature.

"Hiding dark histories of suicide, lost battles and spiritual shifts, this poetic journey charts the river’s course and all the life she affects on her way to the sea."

Danny Hammond, filmmaker and musician

The website is only part of the story, with gigs and festival stages also taking place, along with the Rivertones record label. Caught by the River Eden a spoken word and musical collaboration celebrating the Lake District in northern England, was commissioned for the Aerial Festival and is available on SoundCloud.