“Now is the time of the Sea Gooseberries, they come and go with the tides bringing magic from the past and songs for our future.”
Gather with us on Sunny Sands beach, where we will reunite the Sea Gooseberries and send them back to the sea together as part of a magical participatory light installation, woven with live song and a warming fire that harks back to ancient community gatherings.
The Gathering is part of Beacons, a new community adventure and live event taking place across Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh in November to December 2021. Through storytelling, music and light, it seeks to connect us to each other, our local landscape, and our place in the wider ecosystem.
Beacons follows 200 Sea Gooseberries that have washed ashore and become separated in the landscape, leaving fragments of their magical songs for people to find at 50 locations during The Quest in shops, cafes, parks and open spaces. They need to be reunited for their magic to work and the story to be revealed.
The Gathering is the finale for The Quest, a month-long mission to find the Sea Gooseberry song fragments hidden around Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh and to save the Sea Gooseberries magic. This is the moment when the ending of the story will be revealed, when the tides are strongest, the moon is fullest, and we are at the edge of the winter solstice.
If you have found a Sea Gooseberry please bring it to The Gathering! The magic can only work if all are present.
Free to attend. Everyone is welcome. Suitable for all ages. Booking not required, just turn up. We recommend wearing suitable clothes for the elements. If you have access needs and would like additional information on the location please ask us and we’ll do our best to help. Bring a hot drink and join us around the fire!
We encourage you to walk or cycle to the event if possible, as car parks will be busy. The nearest bicycle rack is in Tram Road car park.
Duration: 45 minutes
Beacons has been created by Folkestone-based theatre maker and artist Alison Neighbour, alongside sonic artist and composer Emily Peasgood, creative technologist and game designer Tarim, wearable sound system designer Alistair Harle, and a team of other local creatives. Over the past nine months, Alison has been working with Sea Gooseberry Guardians from across Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh to secure safe passage for the Sea Gooseberries.
Beacons is produced by arts organisations SparkedEcho and Creative Folkestone with funding from Arts Council England, PRS Foundation, The Ashley Family Foundation and donations from individuals.
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