Out Of Water

Three Weeks / Laura Gavin


Silent figures stare out to shore, arranged in a row behind a length of rope strewn like a tidal mark in the sand. With a series of sunrise and sunset performances at Portobello Beach, this piece of performance art is married to its surroundings, as tales of chasing the retreating tide (and instructions for rescuing half-drowned swimmers) play in our audio headsets. The performers interact wordlessly with the audience, inspiring a feeling of connectedness, as we hear that migrating birds in formation can fly much further than those on their own. Though some elements go on longer than they should, the slow, rhythmical movements and a lilting score from Jocelyn Pook really work together to emphasise the real star of the show: the sea.