The Open Road is a series of artists moving image works, co-commissioned by a partnership of visual arts organisations; Film and Video Umbrella, The Amelia Scott, Cement Fields, FLAMIN, Forma, and Three Rivers.
The Open Road reimagines the age-old tale of a journey taken, weaving together new stories by three contemporary artists. The works are loosely inspired by The Canterbury Tales, drawing from a disparate cast of characters to recount competing stories in a patchwork of styles. David Blandy, Amaal Said and Sam Williams each draw on storytelling traditions to give fresh perspectives on their journeys, on foot, by sea and through time. The newly commissioned works meander through reflections on migration and belonging, untold histories and non-human connections. A smashed mobile phone decries its extraction, removed, returned and dug out from the earth. A daughter recounts a meandering walk with her mother, connecting with the earth underfoot and a land far away. An eel’s story of migration and transformation weaves through the lives and landscapes of the Kent wetlands.
The Open Road begins in September 2025 with Commons by David Blandy at The Amelia Scott in Tunbridge Wells, continuing with Amaal Said’s Open Country at Red House in October 2025, and then on to The Eel’s Tale by Sam Williams with screenings in North Kent in October 2025 and as a part of Canterbury Festival in November 2025. The works will be screened together at FormaHQ on the evening of Thursday 13th November 2025. More screenings and events will take place between September and December 2025 and early 2026, hosting the works throughout Bexley, and FormaHQ, London.
More information about the commissions coming soon!
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The Programme
The Open Road will extend across the London and Kent area in 2025 and 2026, encompassing a series of solo presentations, community engagement initiatives, and curated screenings.
The Amelia Scott, Tunbridge Wells
David Blandy, Commons
26 September 2025 - 11 January 2026
Red House, Bexleyheath*
Amaal Said, Open Country
October 2025
Medway, North Kent*
Sam Williams, The Eel’s Tale
October 2025
Canterbury Festival, Kent (Screening)
Sam Williams, The Eel’s Tale
1 November 2025
FormaHQ, London (Screening)
David Blandy, Amaal Said, and Sam Williams
13 November 2025
FormaHQ, London*
Amaal Said, Open Country
February - March 2026
*Further details to follow
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The Open Road is commissioned by Film and Video Umbrella, The Amelia Scott, Cement Fields, FLAMIN, Forma, and Three Rivers. Supported using public funding by Arts Council England.