I am making seven posts between my dad’s birthday and Father’s day. This year Terence Roy Waterfield would have been 90. We lost him when he was 78. It takes a long time to process losing a loved one.
Gate Four is called Sea Is Meadow. It is about coping with illness. In this section I work with participants embodying my Dad’s illness and subsequent death. I am grateful to Leere and The Unthanks for inspiration in this work. I have mixed some of the initial indoor work with what became the outdoor walking performance. The Sea Song was originally at the beginning of the show but I decided it was best placed at this fourth juncture. It’s interesting how the words become fewer as we move through the gateways as gesture, movement and song take over. I am struck by the busy activity of Gates One and Two – the chatter, the work with the audience/witnesses, whereas as the work progresses it becomes internal and quieter. You can go to Gate One, Gate Two and Gate Three if you have missed them before getting to this page.
Here is the fourth short film.