Capturing Innovation on the Water: Filming Creative Documentaries Aboard ~Flow on the Newcastle Quayside
Filming creative documentaries has taken me into many fascinating worlds, but few projects have stayed with me like ~Flow, a floating artwork moored on the Newcastle Quayside in 2012.
As someone passionate about filming creative documentaries and Newcastle Quayside art projects, I’m always looking for stories where creativity and place connect in unexpected ways. ~Flow turned out to be one of those stories—an ambitious mix of art, engineering, music, and community engagement.
My short documentary about ~Flow was the first film I made using both my AF101 and the Panasonic GH2, a combination that offered me flexibility and visual quality to capture the project’s details and atmosphere. It was filmed over several months and features interviews with key artists Ed Carter and members of Owl Project, as well as builders, designers, and engineers who brought this ambitious vision to life.
At its heart, ~Flow is more than just a floating structure. It’s part tide mill, part musical instrument, and part artwork. As Ed Carter explains in the documentary, the idea was to harness the energy of the River Tyne’s tides and transform it into sound. Traditionally, tide mills were used to grind grain using river power, but ~Flow repurposes this concept to “mill data” instead, turning environmental readings into music.
The construction of ~Flow was an ambitious engineering feat. Built by Amble Boat Company on the Northumberland coast, the vessel is essentially a catamaran supporting a timber-framed mill house. Between its hulls sits a large waterwheel, an unusual sight on the Tyne. The documentary captures how this unique design presented challenges rarely encountered in typical construction, from dealing with marine engineering constraints to integrating moving mechanical elements like the wheel.
The result is a floating structure that doesn’t merely exist as a sculpture—it lives and breathes with the river. As tide levels rise and fall, the waterwheel turns, powering acoustic instruments onboard. Sensors capture data like salinity and water movement, transforming it into sound through fascinating mechanisms. One such element is the “salinity sample sequencer,” which uses lasers shining through river water to produce sonic textures based on the particles and salt content suspended in the current. It’s this innovative blend of art, science, and sound that makes ~Flow such an exciting subject for filming creative documentaries.
My film also explores how ~Flow was designed as a participatory space. Visitors could come aboard for free, experiment with the instruments, and experience how the river’s natural rhythms became music. Owl Project designed several interactive acoustic devices, encouraging audiences to collaborate musically—not just with each other but with the river itself. People could manipulate gears, bellows, and tubes to adjust pitch, resonance, and rhythm, engaging with ~Flow’s instruments like players in a living orchestra.
Beyond the technology and sound, ~Flow embodies a deeper narrative about Newcastle’s evolving relationship with its river. As Ed Carter explains in the film, the Tyne was once the engine of heavy industry, but in recent decades it has transformed into a cultural artery for the city. ~Flow sits firmly within this rebirth, connecting heritage and innovation, inviting people to rethink the river as a creative partner rather than just a backdrop.
Filming creative documentaries like this fuels my curiosity and passion for telling stories that might otherwise go unnoticed. ~Flow offered me the perfect opportunity to capture a project where art, engineering, and the natural world collided in the most inspiring way.
Although ~Flow’s time on the Quayside ended in 2012, its legacy endures. It remains one of the most ambitious Newcastle Quayside art projects I’ve ever filmed, and audiences who visited still remember its unique soundscape and playful spirit.
If you’d like to watch more of my artist films, you can explore them all here: https://alanfentiman.co.uk/vimeo-videos/artist-films/
If you’d like to watch more of my work exploring community stories, creative resilience, and diverse subjects across arts, heritage, and the environment, you can explore all my films here: https://alanfentiman.co.uk/films-by-alan-fentiman/