This project concerns the ocean, humanity’s two world wars and their remnants, empire, and ordinary people who were subject to violence or perished silently amidst the politics of ‘nature’.

The original concept started with my encounter with W. G. Sebald’s “The Rings of Saturn,” an essay-like novel that unfolds on a walking tour of Suffolk. His German view of the UK involves notions of empire and colonization.

I will examine the geopolitical histories of empires in relation to the oceans, in the style of an essay, more contemplative than investigative.

I have been considering the oceans flanking Canada (the Pacific and the Atlantic), Korea (a peninsula that has been invaded throughout its history because of its geopolitical significance), Japan, Portugal (a forgotten empire), Spain, and the Dead Sea (although not technically an ocean, a very "hot" body of water in the current political turmoil). I have visited all these places at least once. The Netherlands and England are also on the list.

The notion of empire previously implied military power. However, in our capitalist world, money is the weapon of empire. For example, London is one of the economic powers. Ironically, Seoul is another one, with quite a different background. 

Although the themes I deal with are historical, I fundamentally question human nature that allows the commission of horrendous atrocities, often purely based on ideology, either religious or secular. My project is part of this inquiry. I hope that I can find peaceful solutions through art. With the research materials I will gather, I will initially make a video essay and eventually develop it into a dance theatre performance accompanied by voice work, sound art, and projected images.

1. The Rings of Saturn