Tied

An outdoor performance lasting approximately 1 hour
June 2016

The tide is out, but on the turn. Six women, dressed in the muted colours of their environment, arrive between a pair of groynes on the beach. Mindful of the tide, they begin their work, with intense concentration, using reels of nylon cord in smooth synchronisation. A low murmuring emanates from the women as they work, changing subtly in pitch and rhythm as the activity wears on. This background noise has an organic shape and texture, as if articulating their immediate environment: the approaching tide, the changing light levels, the intervention of sea birds in the airspace. The previously bright sky gradually darkens and thunder rumbles in the distance. The wind picks up, drops of rain begin to spatter, high tide approaches. The rain and wind intensify. Yet the women remain at their work, despite the water lapping at their ankles, now at their knees…

'Tied' considers interdependencies; between women and their environment, the elements, each other and their work. The sea-green fishing net is intricately and expertly woven, together with the story of their lives, and cast, in hope, onto the water.

‘Tied’ was created for the Whitstable Biennale Satellite programme and performed by members of XAP.

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