Walk to the Bottom of the Sea
This Event is Now Fully Booked
Artist Emma Critchley hosts a public walk the length of the ocean’s deepest depth, to explore different ways we might find a connection with the deep.
The deepest part of the ocean, the Mariana Trench, is approximately 7 miles deep. While this does not seem far on land, the deep-sea remains remote to most, both physically and perceptually. With this distance in mind, artist Emma Critchley is hosting a public walk to the bottom of the sea, to explore different ways we might find a connection with the deep. As significant depth milestones are reached along the way, invited speakers will give provocations towards conversation.
The walk intends to create a space for discussion about the way in which we think about and might care for the deep; it responds to the current issue of deep-sea mining and the impact mining the seabed would have on the delicate ecosystem of the ocean. Guest speakers will be announced on the Brighton Festival website closer to the event.
This event accompanies Emma Critchley’s Soundings, a three-screen film and sound installation with live performance which explores the ways that we might imagine, portray and talk about the deep ocean, and how this becomes fundamental to how we govern it.
Please note this is a 7 mile walk with stops along the way and will last 5.5 hours approximately
Soundings will be at Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts 16th - 23rd May.
Guest Speakers
Natalie Andersen works with the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC), who were founded in 2004 to address the need to protect deep-sea ecosystems on the high seas from the destruction caused by bottom trawling and other forms of deep-sea fishing. The DSCC comprises more than 130 nongovernmental organizations, fishers’ organizations and law and policy institutes, all committed to protecting the deep sea.
Hannah Elms a marine mammal specialist who has been researching cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porposies) with Sussex Dolphin Project since 2021. Hannah shares her enthusiasm and expertise by training the local community to survey from land and sea, to connect people with these magnificent animals while providing vital data for research.
Liv Philip is a Master freediving Instructor & 10x UK freediving Champion. She has taught breath relaxation techniques to performers & worked on underwater media projects.
Antje Scharenberg is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Southampton, whose research focusses on underwater representations, ocean activism and the question how the planetary ocean may be governed democratically.
This event is supported by Brighton Festival with public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
