Mocean is excited to share the culmination of the Sable Ocean Dance Project with the public this season, in two free performances:
An immersive dance performance with plastic collected on Sable Island
Saturday, November 9th | 2pm
Wednesday, November 13th | 7pm
Paul O'Regan Hall, Halifax Central Library, 5440 Spring Garden Rd.
FREE ADMISSION - EVENT REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
Beyond the captivating beauty of its wild horses and windswept dunes, Sea Unseen uncovers the hidden story of ocean plastic pollution on Sable Island. Dance, music, and storytelling unite in a delicate balance of artistic expression and environmental activism, holding space for the urgent and complex issue of plastic pollution. Born from a collaboration between Mocean Dance and the Sable Island Institute, Sea Unseen embodies the struggles of the ocean itself, navigating a sea of plastic in search of hope.
Want to learn more about Sea Unseen, and our work with Sable Island Institute? Click below to read our feature article from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Halifax Examiner:
Dancing With Debris: Mocean Dance Brings the Ocean's Struggle to Life
Mocean Dance working on a project to raise plastic awareness with the Sable Island Institute
RESOURCES
Local Organizations Taking Action:
Sable Island Institute
Ecology Action Centre
Divert NS
Mind your Plastic
For Our Kids Nova Scotia
The Story of Stuff Project
David Suzuki Foundation Plastic Treaty Petition
Climate Change Conversation Toolkit
World Plastic Treaty UN
Bibliography for Sea Unseen Research and Creation
Articles:
Science Museum: The Age of Plastic: From Parkesine to pollution
Science History Institute: History and Future of Plastics
Encyclopedia Britannica : Plastic - Polymers, Synthetic, Recycling
Waste for Change : 7 Types of plastic: The Different Materials and Grades
Canada Council of Ministers of the Environment : Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste
Beyond Plastics
Consumer Reports: What's Gone Wrong With Plastic Recycling
UN Ocean Decade : 10 Years. 10 Challenges. 1 Ocean
HeartHow: The Major Ocean Currents of the World
NASA Scientific Visualization Studio : Perpetual Ocean
Films:
The Story of Plastic
Geographies of Solitude
Books:
Plastic: A Toxic Love Story by Susan Frienkel
Plasticus Maritimus: An Invasive Species by Ana Pego, Isabel Minhos, Bernado P Carvalho
Beyond Straw Men: Plastic Pollution and Networked Cultures of Care by Phaedra C. Pezzullo
Creative Process Poem (2023) by Susanne Chui
Once upon a time in Mi’kma’ki there was an island that was shaped like a crescent moon, like an ear, like the palm of your hand.
The island was a special place, it was both real and imagined.
It cupped the ocean, it was buzzing, embracing, holding, sparkling.
Completely composed of sand it held footprints, it embraced the soles of your feet.
And the sounds of the island created a melody of wind, waves, birds buzzing, splashing, shifting, crashing, howling, fuzzy vibrating serenity, (howling shifting).
And it was a land that didn’t know circles and squares. It didn’t know the solid, fixed nature of cities and minds. Continually shifting and reforming it danced with the wind and waves.
It was a land that helped people heal and to feel their own true nature. Wild, vibrating, swirling waves of past, present, future, surging together in a glowing eternity.
When the island’s first people returned they walked the beaches, embraced the sky and the water and the land. And they reminded us to listen, to tread lightly, to have respect and good intention, to protect, to leave no trace, to learn from the interconnections of Mother Earth, Grandmother Water and all their beings.
So when debris began washing up on the shores of the island the people did not run, did not ignore, did not withdraw into fear or helplessness. They embraced the debris as a message from the waters, and collected it with care. And they brought the debris to others to see, hear, and feel so that everyone could relate to it and work together to imagine ways to do better, to tend of the earth and the island, and in this way the island help the people to heal.
Laundry Soap Recipe - Refill at home
One action of contribution started during the Sable Ocean Dance Project
1 Laundry Soap Bar from Bulk Barn
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup of Washing Soda (available at Cdn Tire)
12 Cups of Water
Grate full bar of Laundry Soap, Bring 6 cups of water to boil.
Stir in slowly grated soap to begin to melt
Turn heat down, Add Borax and Washing Soda
Add 6 cups of warm/cool water to mixture
Take off heat - as mixture cools, continue to emulsify with immersion blender periodically
Pour mixture into empty laundry soap jug. Use ½ cup per load of laundry.
Feel happy you are spending less on laundry soap and refilling a plastic jug!
About the Sable Ocean Dance Project
Mocean has been been working with SII since 2021, exploring a dance-based project incorporating plastic debris washed up on Sable Island, and focusing on themes of ocean plastic pollution and environmental stewardship. The project began with a phase of creative research where eight artists worked with researcher Zoe Lucas from SII, using movement to animate the plastic debris Zoe collected on the island. Our work continued in May 2023 with another research phase, this time prototyping public engagement sessions in the public school system.
The work continues this fall with a final phase of creation, culminating in two free public performances.
Past and Present Collaborators:
Zoe Lucas - Sable Island Institute President and Researcher
Sara Coffin and Susanne Chui - Choreographers / Mocean Co-Artistic Directors
Lisa Phinney Langley, Meredith Kalaman - Choreographers / Creative Team
Jackson Fairfax-Perry, Lindsay Dobbin and Brian Riley - Sound Artists
Francine Dulong - Dramaturg, Script Writer, Creative Team
Sam Penner, Reg Rose, Sebastien Labelle, Lisa Phinney Langley, Sara Coffin, Sarah Prosper - Dance Artists
Hannah Martin, Anastasia Nevin and Sarah Prosper - Mi'kmaq Consultants
Past creative workshop participant: Julie Robert - Interim Artistic Producer