Sea Things A Winner In The West

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18th October 2009, 12:00pm - Views: 1041





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PO Box 1389

Darlinghurst NSW 1300


Telephone 02 9319 5090

Mobile 0425 312 334


info@redroomcompany.org

ABN 35 103 464 446

MEDIA RELEASE

18 October 2009

        

SEA THINGS A WINNER IN THE WEST 


Dozens of Perth students have come on board for a

unique literary initiative to encourage new verse and to explore and

celebrate Australia’s longstanding obsession with the ocean. 


The students from Perth Modern School have written poems and stories with a marine twist that

will travel in a duffle bag from Fremantle to Thursday Island, via Darwin, over the next three

weeks.


The students and their English teacher Moira Hearne will be at North Quay Fremantle tomorrow

to farewell the “cargo” as it heads north on the Sea Corporation’s “Kimberley Rose.”


The project called Sea Things involves a two month journey along both the East and West

Coasts, with vessels collecting poems and thoughts from the general public at various

stopovers, to join works commissioned by The Red Room Company from professional poets. 


“No stretch of the Australian coastline is more in tune with the sea – and more connected to the

nation’s maritime history– than Fremantle-Perth,” commented Johanna Featherstone, the

Artistic Director of The Red Room Company, the project organizer.


The East Coast bag is currently in Port Kembla, Wollongong, after journeying from Hobart and

Melbourne.

 

On Thursday Island the duffle bags from both sides of the nation will collect a fifth work

composed and performed by the community and students of the Tagai State College.


The complete set of works will then be flown to Sydney in November for a public performance

on Sydney Harbour.


“Sea Things aims to build on Australia's maritime poetry tradition in a contemporary context,

imagining the nation’s sea history through new work that can be shared nationally and

internationally through print, audio, film and web forms,” commented Johanna.


“It’s a project that invites intrigue and adventure, danger and politics.  Not just the sea itself but

also the coastline, harbours and beaches, what happens above and below the surface of the

sea. 


“The West Coast’s links to the oceans stretching back to early times speak to rhythm, sound,

image and memory.


“At each of our stops, we want to collect material from the community and by the time we

disembark on Thursday Island our duffle bags will be bursting, for they will contain so many

voices, songs, sounds and secrets that people have shared with us.”




People Feature The Redroom Company 2 image




PO Box 1389

Darlinghurst NSW 1300


Telephone 02 9319 5090

Mobile 0425 312 334


info@redroomcompany.org

ABN 35 103 464 446

The project’s “Spiritual Skipper” is David Jordan, who spent 25

years in the Royal Australian Navy, including Captain of Patrol

Boat HMAS Bendigo and Frigate HMAS Warramunga, with

deployments to the Pacific Islands and Asia. 


Dave has been a regular competitor in the Sydney to Hobart

Yacht Race, and Voyage Captain of Young Endeavour. David was

awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in 2002.


People can submit poems for placing in the bags in several ways:


1. Turn up to the live events that occur at either the arrival or departure of the duffle bags, on a ship.



2. Email them to bonny@redroomcompany.org


3. Post them, no later than Monday 9th November, to: 

The Red Room Company, PO Box 1389, Darlinghurst,  NSW 1300. 


4. Post them on the POOL website: http://www.pool.org.au/


When: Monday 19 October

Where: No 11 Berth, North Quay, Fremantle. Off Tydeman Road, opposite the Railway Hotel

What: Launch of West Coast Sea Things

Time: 12 noon


Media inquiries: Johanna Featherstone, Red Room Company, on 0425 312 334, or

Graham Cassidy, Cato Counsel, on 0419 202 317 

     


  








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