Folk musician plays 'Shackleton Violin' on board RRS Discovery
The Norfolk musician is a distant relative of Ernest Shackleton
Georgia Shackleton, a folk musician from Norfolk has recently received support from Arts Council England to compose a body of work to celebrate struggling marine life. To do so, the distant relative of Ernest Shackleton is collaborating with conservationist and Luthier Steve Burnett using his 'Shackleton Violin'.
Georgia has been onboard the RRS Discovery where she played one of her composition on the deck of the ship where her world-famous, distant relative Ernest Shackleton started his Antarctic obsession.
The 'Shackleton Violin' is made from floorboards salvaged from Ernest's former Edinburgh home and driftwood collected from East Lothian beaches.
On Friday, October 21st, Georgia began a creative residency with 'The Shackleton Violin' on the East Fife Coast, composing songs and tunes inspired by the sea and Shackleton's legacy, with an aim to raise environmental awareness for our struggling marine life. Later in the year, Georgia will also be heading to Cecil Sharp's house in London to research and work with songs recorded as having been sung by Shackleton's crew on his expeditions.
Georgia is best known for participating in a folk band called 'Shackleton's Trio', a band inspired by broadside ballads and native East Anglia folk songs. The trio does re-works of traditional, native music as well as original compositions.
Georgia said: "Being descended from the Shackleton line myself I got in contact with Steve, I think it was back in January of this year, after seeing he'd built this amazing instrument. I was expecting he would've sold it or it had been commissioned for someone , but he was really happy that I'd got in contact asking if I could hopefully, just maybe play it one day."
Ali Gellatly, The Head of Operations at Discovery Point, said: “With the RRS Discovery being the ship that first took Sir Ernest Shackleton to Antarctica it is extremely fitting that Georgia should be playing on board with the unique Shackleton Violin.
"It will be quite an incredible moment to have Georgia standing on the very decks where Shackleton once stood while playing a violin made from his former home floorboards. Georgia’s current work on composing a body of work to celebrate struggling marine life also ties in beautifully with the story of the RRS Discovery’s pioneering oceanographic research.”