8,000 Shells

Eight years ago, back in 2018, ‘Detritus of the Deep’ was originally a small commission for Cork’s Pitch’d Circus Festival. The stilt walking king of the deep was made from ocean rubbish, but also from tireless late-nights costume making, after the kids have gone to bed, and from family adventures, beach combing for materials. Inspired by Poseidon from Greek myths and legends, the unspoken end product has a soundscape with ocean sounds, whale song, and scientists talking about the importance of the ocean and issues it faces.

Being an energetic physical performer of street theatre on stilts, often chatting all sorts of nonsense and clowning around for many years already, this was a chance to do something completely different. To step away from street entertainment and to define something more serious as an environmental performance.

After dreaming up all sorts of dance and movement as Detritus, the practicalities of those ideas became clearly floored, with such a big heavy costume, with a-built-in lights and bubble system, it needed a different tactic. It was also particularly scary for younger children, and with such detail in the costume and the sound-scape, it become more of a walking installation, that people wanted to just stop for, look at and listen to. It became an incredibly slow-moving act, with a gentle character. That stirred conversations between people about what it meant and what we should be doing about the state of our oceans. The slow pace of the act also became a fantastic contrast to busy festivals or fast-paced urban spaces, inviting people to pause, engage and reflect.

With those brave enough, Detritus, slowly approached them, and carefully gave them a small seashell, most with #seaourseas written inside (with a thin Sharpie) or messages of love and hope. This was arguably not necessary, but became a beautiful interaction and something for audiences to take away from their experience. I probably never charged enough to cover my time to spend hours on end, writing messages on the shells, cleaning them, collecting them when beach combing or litter picking, great excuse to go to the beach though, on the days before upcoming gigs.

Eight years later, after giving out hundreds of shells to people at events at a time, thousands over the years, Detritus of the Deep has emerged from the depths (of the Hotch Potch van) to arts festivals, maritime festivals, family, environmental and community events across the UK and Ireland. Detritus and parts of him, have also been to schools, told stories with mermaids and helped create ‘Deep Sea Discos’... but those are stories for another time.

Being a solo walkabout act, but highly visual, engaging, like many of Hotch Potch's relatively small-scale works. Detritus of the Deep (and his partner in art- The Washed Up Mermaid) have been to some of the biggest major arts festivals in the UK, and some of the smallest environment-focused community events too. We are rarely the focus or the highlight of an event, but we are a big part of the experience there, and over time, I like to think our small company’s work on the sidelines, has had a big impact.

Thank you to Jade Vale for the photos from Newquay's Watergate Bay, and thank you for reading. X