They Went To Sea

They Went To Sea is inspired by Edward Lear’s limerick, The Jumblies.
The Jumblies go on a sea journey in the least suitable vessel, a sieve, abandoning the old status quo in search of something new, but without thinking the journey through.
It’s a metaphor for the migration movements around the world.

It's a an abstract, dynamic composition with the movement of human bodies, following the flow and rhythm of the music.
Choreographed by Małgorzata Dzierzon, a Polish choreographer and Artistic Co-Director of Fertile Ground.

The dancers (Esmée Halliday, Lila Naruse, Beth Veitch, Benedicta Valentina Mamuini, Jonathan Curry Dzikamai W Mudamburi, Renaud Wiser) are surrounded by the symbolic sea created with the help of an algorithm that generates graphic waves in real time, using the luminance and the movement of the dancers, as well as the frequency of the music.

The algorithm was created in Touchdesigner and can change the animation of the waves each time it’s played. I wanted to treat the ocean in a metaphoric way, not as something that is external to us, but something we are creating ourselves. We can either drown in our problems or our choices can elevate us above mundane reality. Our journey is what ultimately matters most.
The music, composed by Julia Kent, is mixed with narrative voices who become Jumblies themselves, telling us the story of their journey.

The original Edward Lear’s limeric was adapted by Aga Lesiewicz, who created a verbal representation of the movement, with some lines and phrases repeating themselves and echoing, simulating the rise and fall of the waves.

It was read by Misia Butler, Carolyn Adair, Kristian Byrne and Roseline Marie.