Original takes on ‘biophilia’ – our innate desire to connect to nature – are open for exploration at this year’s festival. We invite you to delve in, and deepen your connection for our shared future.

Supported by The Scottish Government’s Expanded Festivals Fund through Creative Scotland

Erland Cooper has composed a very special piece of music for LOVE OF LIFE, rooted in the joy of slowing down and taking time to notice what’s around us. Orkney-born Erland is an Emmy-nominated composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist who as a solo artist, has released five critically acclaimed studio albums, including a trilogy of work inspired by his childhood home, as well as themes of nature, people, place and time. His work often combines field recordings with traditional orchestration and contemporary electronic elements.

Working with Erland is artist Naomi Mcintosh who creates sculptural objects and immersive installations which examine relationships between body, space and landscape. With the brilliant team from Old School Fabrications, they have together created a multi-layered take on LOVE OF LIFE which you can discover in our festival hub.

Our LOVE OF LIFE Launch event on 31st July celebrates the beginning of the project with Erland’s sonic exploration and stunning visuals from Cagoule TV (see event listings for more information).

The Flock – also on our opening day, a flock of handmade gannets will weave from the Harbourside, through the town and to our hub, led by a stunning giant bird puppet, arriving in the Big Top for the launch.

Come and join The Flock! This is a chance to make your own puppet to carry in the parade, under the expert guidance of puppeteers Vision Mechanics, who brought the incredible 10-metre STORM to us in 2021. We’d love your help in making this a truly eye-catching spectacle, highlighting the incredible nature all around us and the plight of seabirds. The Northern Gannets who make Bass Rock their home are, like many seabirds, facing significant threats.

We ask that each puppet maker commits to coming along to two workshops in North Berwick, to make and finish their puppet, and to being part of the parade on the afternoon of 31st July. Puppet workshops will take place from 25th July onwards (see online event listing for more information).

Scottish Seabird Centre Exhibition – we present in partnership with SSC, a specially curated exhibition on LOVE OF LIFE and its connection to the wildlife on our coastline. Featuring a closer look at the new work by Erland Cooper and an exhibition of images taken as part of the ‘making of’ his composition. Open from 10.00AM-5.00PM daily (31 July –
9 August). Last entry 5.00PM. Free to visit with a suggested
£5 donation to the charity. www.seabird.org

Also in our hub, you’ll find Plants Can Dance (and Mushrooms Sing) – artist Brian d’Souza’s musical collaboration with nature. Living organisms, like plants and fungi, produce unique electronic signals and data that, when connected to synthesizers and other equipment, can be converted into sound and music: a process called biosonification.

Plants Can Dance will be open to explore each day of Fringe by the Sea. You can also book into a workshop to experience more. Each session will start with an introduction to the process, dig into the science and have a play with a variety of easy-to-use tools that create music from nature. Then you get into a Deep Listening experience where you’re encouraged to immerse yourselves in the realtime audio-visual plant soundscape, leaving your phones aside. A wondrous treat for all!

Brian runs the A State Of Flo label and substack blog, focusing on the biological basis for music, new ecosystems and the creation of novel acoustic ecologies which bridge the gap between the natural world and the electronic music one. His nature-based music has been featured on the BBC World Service, 6Music, V&A, UN Oceans Conference, Discovery Channel, Tate Modern, Glastonbury, National Trust and more. He has just compiled the first Plants Can Dance compilation album, featuring artists from around the world who also collaborate with nature in their music.

We invite you to explore LOVE OF LIFE!

Illustrations by Eilidh Muldoon. With thanks to North Berwick Harbour Trust and World Headquarters.