AN award winning artist and filmmaker has joined forces with a group of art and media students from a local college, to work on her latest project - Monster in the Estuary.

Taking inspiration from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Eelyn Lee - who has screened work across London including Barbican, Tate Modern and Whitechapel Gallery as well as internationally in Paris, Berlin and Toronto - is hoping to create a monster story set along the banks of the river, gathering together local people’s stories of fear about it.

This week the students will be helping to shape the development of the project in a workshop run at the Seevic College’s Runnymede Chase, Benfleet campus.

Explaining to the students about the project, Eelyn said: “It is inspired by Frankenstein and I’m looking at locating a piece of work in the landscape of the Thames Estuary.

“I am planning to collect local stories of fear associated with the Estuary.

“The idea is you don’t see the monster but it is made up of fragments of different people’s fears.”

Student Daniel Potter, who is studying level 3 Art and Design, said he found the talk fascinating and was hoping to get involved with the workshop.

He said: “I have considered going into filmmaking - either that or architecture.

“I have always been interested in the processes of making film especially in the horror genre.

“I am interested in film but I haven’t had a starting point, this could be it.”

Eelyn is currently working with arts group Metal based at Chalkwell Hall in Chalkwell Park, near Southend where she has a residency. Metal will premiere Eelyn's new work at the inaugural Estuary 2016, a festival celebrating the Thames Estuary, on from September 17 until October 2.

Eelyn will be engaging with five sites along the estuary - Old Leigh, Tilbury Docks, Canvey Island and Benfleet Creek, Southend Pier and Shoebury - as part of her research.

Tad Blower, programme area manager for creative and performing arts, said getting working artists in to speak to students about their experience in the industry was invaluable.

He said: “The Creative Arts area at Seevic really focuses on developing student confidence, and an inherent desire to be successful in the creative industries.

“Where possible we encourage students to work with artists and designers, or design companies.

“We are really lucky to have such an influential arts organisation like Metal on our door step, and have great relationship with them.

“To have our students working alongside such an established and recognised artist/film-maker as Eelyn is such a fantastic opportunity. It’s a very exciting project that our artists, film-makers and media make-up students are all hoping to get engaged with.”