Please note: Due to river conditions, we have had to cancel Rasheed Araeen’s Discosailing: A Ballet On Water performance scheduled for 27 September 2024.

Whilst we are unable to go ahead with September’s performance, we are delighted to have been able to realise this remarkable participatory work by Araeen on The Line in July. The Discosailing short film offers a wonderful perspective, reflection and insight into the piece as it unfolded this summer – watch the full film here.

We hope to present Discosailing again in the future, please keep an eye on our social media for updates.

Discosailing is a participatory art ‘action’ that was first conceived by the artist Rasheed Araeen in 1970 and has developed in the years since. Araeen describes it as “a system of sailing, or floating on water… Discosailing, performed individually or collectively involving many performers, may appear as a sport but its underlying conception is the idea of a floating sculpture or sculptures. It can also be perceived as a form of a live performance.”

On 27 July 2024, to coincide with the first day of the Paris 2024 Olympics, The Line realised the first manifestation of Discosailing to have ever been performed in the UK on the Waterworks River at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. On Friday 27 September, a second day of six performances will unfold during the day, each lasting 30 minutes. Nine participants will float on discs and wear sails in bright colours that echo Araeen’s bold sculptures and painted works.

Like much of Araeen’s practice, Discosailing is an invitation for people to become part of his work. Through a meditative, experimental encounter, participants are invited to play with a connection between the body, object, water and space.