It's made its mark in maritime history over four centuries.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham has been a working, and later historical, part of the life of the sea and sailing since 1618.

Launching Festival 400, which celebrates 400 years of the world’s most complete dockyard from the age of sail, will be more than 50 artworks from past masterpieces to contemporary commissions.

It is not only a celebration of the artists inspired by the Dockyard and the ships built there, but also links the site back to the waterways and the sea.

The historical works show a range of styles from the romanticism of shipbuilding, and the actions fought by Chatham-built ships in the 18th century, to the industrial perspective of the mid 20th century, where submarines and cranes replaced wooden warships.

The more up to date works provide a link to the present and how key routes to the dockyard still inspire artists today, including the River Medway, Thames Estuary and North Sea.

Names such as John Constable and J.M.W Turner are included, along with contemporary artists from Tracey Emin to Layla Curtis.

Turner works featured include The ‘Victory’ Coming up the Channel with the Body of Nelson and Second Sketch for The Battle of Trafalgar to Steamer and Lightship: a study for The Fighting Temeraire.

Tracey Emin brings her neon work She Lay Down Deep Beneath The Sea to the exhibition, while other contemporary works include Message In a Bottle from Ramsgate to the Chatham Islands by Layla Curtis and a series of black and white photographs and images taken of the River Medway's bands and river by Christiane Baumgartner.

Nadav Kander’s reflections on the River Medway and the Thames Estuary and Catherine Yass’ lightbox of the Thames at low tide.

Some artists such as Langlands and Bell’s new work explore the play on words of names of Chatham-built ships and the world’s waterways, while Yinka Shonibare with his Nelson’s Ship in Bottle touch on both British colonialism and its expansion in trade and Empire. Maps and historic models of lightships contrast with Chris Orr’s contemporary engraving and Steffi Klenz's images of refracted glass from lighthouse lamps.

Held in No.1 Smithery, there will also be diaries and manuscripts offering first-hand accounts of travellers through the Dockyard, showing the important part it played in industry and life.

Works by John Constable such as Shipping on the Thames or Medway (1803), Submarines in Dry Dock (1940) by Eric Ravilious, and Steamer and Lightship; a study for ‘The Fighting Temeraire’ by JMW Turner are to name but a few of the works that will be on display!

Yinka Shonibare MBE’s Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle, a scaled down version of HMS Victory (a Chatham made ship), which currently stands outside The National Maritime Museum and is noted as one of the most photographed artworks in London will also be joining the exhibition. As well as Tracey Emin’s famous work “She Lay down Deep Beneath The Sea.”

DETAILS

Powerful Tides opens at the Historic Dockyard Chatham on Friday, March 23 and runs until Sunday, June 17. For admission costs and more information, visit thedockyard.co.uk or call 01634 823800.

A YEAR-LONG CELEBRATION

There will be a year-long programme of events, activities, exhibitions and talks at the dockyard for Festival 400: Celebrating 400 years of the world’s most complete dockyard of the age of sail.

Powerful Tides: 400 Years of Chatham and the Sea kicks things off with Brick History - famous scenes from history recreated in Lego®, following after, from Friday, July 6 to Saturday, September 15.

That will be followed by Untold Stories: A Black History of Kent (an exhibition focussing on the untold stories) on Friday, October 5 to Sunday, December 2.

The dockyard is the only place visitors can explore a complete, once working dockyard, from the age of sail and beyond, with its magnificent maritime past and unmatched contribution to the shipbuilding excellence which led to the command of the oceans.