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.

Erland Cooper’s composition Sula bassana, recorded by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, is a rousing, atmospheric and slow moving landscape with cinematic elements, using the full forces of an 80-piece symphony orchestra, celebrating community, care and the natural world. Working with field recordings captured on the Bass Rock, it sees Erland return to the gannet as a source of inspiration following the success of his debut album Solan Goose. Erland has dedicated the piece to Maggie Sheddan, custodian for the gannets of Bass Rock for over 20 years, on behalf of the Scottish Seabird Centre and the RSPB.

Sula bassana was released on 21st August – stream/listen here. The piece will be premiered as part of a concert by Erland Cooper with the BBC SSO on November 27th at Glasgow City Halls.

This piece will be played at the Launch of Love of Life, along with the premiere an accompanying film by Lewis Gourlay (Cagoule TV) who  is working alongside the composer and artist capturing stunning visuals from Erland and Naomi’s visit to the Bass Rock as well as the surrounding areas. The short film to accompany the composition will be inspired by air, sea and land. It was premiered on the opening day of the festival, screened at the Scottish Seabird Centre throughout, and was also experienced at Love of Live 360 during the festival.

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 together created a multi-layered take on LOVE OF LIFE which you can discover in our festival hub. The Nest will hold the space for visitors to slow down, listen closely and deepen their connection with nature. Naomi combined hand woven flax with wooden structures to create spiral nests each containing elements of the composition. Festival goers were invited to weave their way to each listening space set within a wider ambient sonic tapestry. Situated in a sycamore grove in the main hub on festival grounds, The Nest  was open to drop in each day.

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

The Flock was 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. It was 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.

Scottish Seabird Centre Exhibition – we presented, in partnership with Scottish Seabird Centre, 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.  www.seabird.org

Thousands of festival goers explored 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 was open to explore each day of Fringe by the Sea. You could also book into a workshop to experience more. Each session started 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.

There is more to come for LOVE OF LIFE in 2027!

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

Photography credits:

Erland Cooper – Colin Hattersley

Naomi Mcintosh & The Nest – Ross Fraser McLean

Plants Can Dance – Lewis Houghton