We have been rehearsing the music for Coastal Voices with the four groups covering the whole of the coast, and launched the project with the first performance for the opening of the Twin Sails Bridge in Poole on March 9th. The weather was grey, but the the 200+ voices were seriously colourful and it was a great pleasure to see so many people enjoying the product of the work that we have all done to make this project a success over the last few years. Other performances of Coastal Voices will be on June 1st in Beer Quarry Caves (very limited availability), July 8th at Lighthouse Poole – these are now on sale for £5 at https://lighthousepoole.co.uk , and July 27th on Weymouth beach as part of the Olympic and Paralympic Opening Weekend.
Meanwhile, the five visual artists working on ExLab are finalising their ideas for their artworks, following a mid-project feedback session on their proposals. These are varied and hugely imaginative responses to the Jurassic Coast and its science practice, and will be found in Bournemouth, Durlston Country Park, Worth Matravers, Portland Bill, Sherborne, and the Hive Beach Café throughout the summer and into the autumn. For up to date information on dates and locations, please keep an eye on https://www.exlab.org/.
The Jurassic Coast Earth Festival projects are developing and will be revealed to the public at the Fossil Festival in Lyme Regis on May 4th – 6th, before travelling around the coast throughout the summer, visiting many of the gateway towns. I have been working especially on etude, a Japanese contemporary dance piece which highlights our relationship with nature, created by the highly acclaimed Yukio Suzuki Company, which will be at Durlston on May 17th and 18th. The Pliosaur is nearly finished now, and is quite a formidable creature for all the family, and 26 & 7 Bones had their mid-way sharing at the Salt House in Bridport. For more about these projects and many others see https://www.earthfestival2012.org/
All of these projects will need help to steward the events, so if you are over 18 and interested in getting more involved with any of them, please contact Daisy Sutcliffe at [email protected]. Full briefing will be provided, and no experience or prior knowledge is necessary.
These three projects and many more form the Maritime Mix – London 2012 Cultural Olympiad by the Sea. They have now finalised their website and brochure – find out more about all the events takng palce this summer at https://www.maritimemix2012.co.uk/
