THEY WENT TO SEA

THEY WENT TO SEA is Inspired by Edward Lear’s limerick, The Jumblies.

The poem is a story of adventure and risk-taking, where a group of people sets out to explore the world in a sieve, defying conventional wisdom and expectations. The poem's themes can be seen as a metaphor for the human experience of migration, which often involves leaving behind the familiar and venturing into the unknown.

Yola, a visual artist collaborated with choreographer Małgorzata Dzierzon and the dance company Fertile Ground to create an abstract composition.

The dancers move to the rhythm of the music, surrounded by a symbolic sea generated by an algorithm created in Touch Designer. The algorithm uses the dancers' movements and the music's frequency to generate real-time dynamic graphic waves, which can change with each performance.

The ocean is portrayed metaphorically, representing the choices we make in life. We can either sink or rise above our problems, and the journey is what matters most.

The music, composed by Julia Kent, is mixed with narrative voices that become Jumblies themselves, telling the story of their journey. The adaptation by Aga Lesiewicz simulates the rise and fall of the waves through repeated lines and phrases.

Overall, this abstract dance performance takes the audience on a journey, exploring the human experience of risk-taking, migration, and the importance of the journey itself.

• project by Jola Kudela

• choreographer Małgorzata Dzierzon

• dancers FERTIL GROUND

Esmée Halliday, Lila Naruse, Beth Veitch, Benedicta Valentina Mamuini, Jonathan Curry Dzikamai W Mudamburi, Renaud Wiser

• music Julia Kent

• text adaptation Aga Lesiewicz

• voices: Misia Butler, Carolyn Adair, Kristian Byrne and Roseline Marie.

• camera Jason Berge

• sound mix Soren Andersen

The poem speaks about a group of Jumblies who went on a journey to discover the world in the least suitable vessel, a sieve. It’s a story of a group of people who abandon the old status quo in search of something new, very often without thinking the journey through. It can be interpreted as a metaphor for the migration movements around the world in pursuit of a better life. The original poem ends on a positive note: the Jumblies arrive safely back home and even inspire others. In real life the story very often doesn’t have a happy ending.

I wanted to create an abstract, dynamic composition with the movement of human bodies, following the flow and rhythm of the music.

In order to do so I approached Małgorzata Dzierzon, a Polish choreographer and Artistic Co-Director of Fertile Ground, a dance company dedicated to creation, touring and talent development in the North of England.

The dancers 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.

- Best Musical Short Film at International Sound Future Award in NY 2022

- Honorable Mention at Paris Film Awards 2022

- Best Experimental Short Film - Florence Film Awards 2022

- Best Experimental Short Film - Hollywood Gold Awards 2022