Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.

The familiar strains of a Christina Rosetti Poem seem to be basis of this beautiful festival offering from Madam Bach Theater (Denmark).  A poem that poses and answers the question – how do we know of the wind if we can’t see it? 

WIND is a feast for the eyes, the ears, and invokes memory. It is a gentle breeze which teases and captivates this young audience in its spellbinding magic. And it isn’t just the children who are captured in this breath of fresh air.

In the Angus Room at Te Papa, the creators/actors – Christian Schrøder and Pernille Bach – wait quietly on the curved set helping the audience to find their places. Behind and around them is a tree like mobile with many wind driven objects dangling from it, sheets of different coloured hanging fabrics and several electric fans set at different levels with faint accordion music setting a gentle folky kind of feel.

Beginning with the smallest wind whisper from thin wire rods being whirled around, we are delighted with the simple joy and imaginative look at a subject many take for granted or, particularly in Wellington, complain about.

How many times have you felt the wind blow across your face, ruffle your clothing or make you pull your jacket a little tighter around your shoulders. Have you tried to control a kite in a strong gust, jumped in the foamy waves whipped up by a sea breeze or pedalled slowly into a head-wind hoping for a tail-wind back home – only to find that the wind has changed direction throughout the day! 

All these everyday scenarios are cleverly depicted using fabric, paper, a variety of props, music and, of course, the wind from strategically placed electric fans. Large triangles of fabric become the blades of a windmill, the sails boats, the pleats of a swishing skirt. A comical duo between accordion and bike rider has the audience chuckling and helicopter seeds whirling to the ground in awe – although one young boy calls out, “You’ll need to tidy those up.” Paper snow storms that remind me of Wellington streets on recycling day, the joy of washing drying on the line and the inevitable beach ball chase.

These creators remind us that our bodies can also be wind-like, creating movement in objects. Of course we know that blowing something moves it, but they also play with body movement to make things move and sway.

The musical soundscape adds another dimension to this piece. The use of rhyming text, dynamic and tempo change in movement and interaction to illustrate the different wind states. Playful, teasing, partying and the calm before the storm. A hurdy gurdy type instrument where the strings are blown to make a wind like looped drone is intriguing.

When we are asked to “Imagine if you could be the wind,” the rapport and playfulness of the actors is contagiously fun to watch as they chase and laugh and draw us into their world of pretend while reminding us how the wind here is also connected to the wind in far off places. 

Children’s theatre is a powerful connector and Capital E have yet again brought families of Wellington a beautiful gift this year. WIND and the other shows on offer in this festival provide a resource from which children will continue to create. The influences may not be obvious initially, but the seeds have been sown and, like the story we have just seen, these seeds will be dispersed by life’s wind and will continue to grow within, maybe crescendo-ing to storm proportions, or just quietly inhaling and exhaling. 

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