Flow - A short film by The River Neath

'Flow’ is a film powered by The River Neath. Created for World Environment Day 2025 to highlight the importance of keeping the UK waterways flowing with clean, fresh water.

Our rivers and the wildlife that depend on them are under threat. Pollution from sewage and chemicals from industrial farming are slowly damaging these habitats. Only 14% of England’s rivers are in good health, putting many plants, animals, insects and birds at risk. We partnered with The National Trusts who are doing vital work to protect these waterways and their habitats.

To tell this story, we built a unique installation powered by the river’s natural flow. A series of wooden sculptures bought to life by the water's current, bringing a once-healthy river back to life.

In total we created 168 paddles on 21 wheels. Each paddle had a single frame of a looping sequence, all hand-cut from 2mm thick sheets of FSC wood. With the flow of the river determining the speed of the animation, we then started prototyping the sculptures; refining, adjusting different wheel sizes, paddle shapes, speeds and water depths, each iteration improving the clarity and illusion of the moving image.

We chose a quiet stretch of the River Neath in South Wales, a visually beautiful home for the installation, but unfortunately one at increased risk of pollution, like so many other freshwater habitats across the UK. Using the river’s natural shape, we installed our sculptures. It became our timeline: as we moved down the river, we introduced each animated sequence, the narrative written by its natural flow, dictating the final compositions of the film.

Despite careful planning, we had to accept that we were entirely at the mercy of the ever-changing river and weather during the shoot. On paper it seemed simple. In practice, it was anything but. A reminder that we can’t control nature, only work with it. We teamed up with an incredible local crew and spent a week camping on-site to install the wheels, followed by another week carefully filming each element, patiently waiting for the natural conditions to bring the sculptures’ animations to life.