Charming, complex and conversational, the multifaceted experience that is Sharing Waters invites participants to experience the fleeting commonalities of separated worlds. Crossing to Half Moon Bay on the ferry, this performance takes the audience on several intertwined journeys. Overlaying the present day are Christina Houghton’s memories of living on and around the waters of Auckland Harbour and Johannes Blomqvist’s descriptions of his home city and a ferry trip he took to the island of Holmön.

 

The performance is in parts, starting with maps laid out in the ferry terminal, accompanying music and physical mementos all provide the context for what is coming. The voices of the artists come through clearly in the handwritten notes that pepper the maps, and the sound of the Finnish Tango and the taste of salted liquorice linger as we embark. Each leg is split in two, half spent with Johannes, half with Christina. This division leaves each story hanging, preventing a deeper immersion in each, however the sense of a hanging thread suits the work, allowing the stories and reality to meld further into each other.

 

The stories are relaxed in tone, and are littered with physical and sensory triggers. Watching a video of the journey to Holmön, the waves on the screen are the same colour as those outside the window. Holding a replica of the hot chocolate Johannes drank while crossing creates a physical echo, while the taste of Raro and minties, the smell of old sunscreen and pine oil, and the wearing of the hats that Christina’s family wore summers ago create cascades of memories for the audience. It is apparent that the more experiences the audience share with stories the deeper this work will be.

 

Light touches bring out the strange attachments that exist between place and time. An island in a river, an island in the Baltic Sea, an island in the Pacific Ocean, and a place that will become an island as the sea levels continue to rise. Johannes shows a picture of zespri in the general store on Holmon. It creates a startling and instant bond.

 

There is nothing final about this work. Our physical journey begins where it started. Christina’s memories, imparted in snippets, and Johannes’ clearly but casually described journey invite connections between the stories and the present. This, combined with the inherent meanings of what is offered, allow the memories to surface and blend with the experiences each audience member brings to the performance.

 

 

Sharing Waters – a personal boating experience about islands, seas and connectivity

a group tour on the Half Moon Bay ferry crossing

 

Johannes Blomqvist (Umeå, Sweden) and Christina Houghton (Auckland, NZ)

 

maps. finnish tango, tracings of the future?
salted liquorice

 

first leg,

Johannes,

images of home city. hot choc (same as on ferry)

vid of ferry journey, waves the same colour as the ones outside our boat

small details – sick bags

 

Christina,

physical memories, choose hat, sunglasses, drink raro

sunscreen – old, the smell…

father created family boat

sundeck – wind in your face, staring into the water aft – childhood memories

overlay and interlacing of memories and present

 

second leg

Johannes

finish vid – arrival at island

smell of pine (oil)

spray of baltic sea water

images of the island – zespri in the general store…

disconnect – damp cold of the island, summers day
water is the same colour

 

Christina

minties and the unravelling of wrappers

music, from boat + fathers funeral, in sync with the rocking of waves

dancing to the tune…. talking of horizons

 

End

sail away with me + bottle of combined water

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