Turn To The Wind
Single screen installation, 30 minutes, 2023

Feeling cut off, cast out and removed from the military communities they called home, two crews of veterans sail the coast lines of the British Isles and navigate the bustling river Thames. They find peace in being at one with nature and a true sense of belonging and purpose again as part of a team. Beautiful and quietly revealing, Turn To the Wind is co-produced with the Veterans at the Turn to Starboard charity. One of three films produced for a unique, two-year research project Stories in Transition working with three veteran charities to explore the role of arts, sport, and culture activities in supporting military-to-civilian transition. Captured through a relationship of deep listening and dialogue, the veterans sailing with Turn To Starboard offer us alternative understandings of the Veteran experience. Their stories emerge as they find their place as part of the crew. This renewed sense of purpose allows for reflection upon their past narratives while forging new identities with which to move forward. The Stories in Transition Project is a multi-disciplinary research collaboration between Anglia Ruskin University, University of Exeter, Manchester Metropolitan University, and University of the Arts, London and is funded by The Arts and Humanities Research Council.