A quest to find fragments of Sea Gooseberries at 50 locations in shops, cafes, parks and open spaces

If you go out in Folkestone this winter you may stumble across Beacons, a new community adventure and live event taking place across the district with a magical surprise from the sea (@seagoosberries).

Part Quest, part Performance, the project uses technology, music and light to unravel the important story of our place within the delicate balance of the ecosystem, delivered to us by little known creatures on our shores - Sea Gooseberries. Sea Gooseberries are small ancient beings found in every ocean in the world. They are one of the earliest forms of life on the planet - perhaps even our ancestors.

Beacons follows 200 Sea Gooseberries that have washed ashore and become separated in the landscape, leaving fragments of their magical songs for people to find at 50 locations in shops, cafes, parks and open spaces. They need to be reunited for their magic to work and the story to be revealed.

From 20th November, the public will be able to get hold of a free map and join in The Quest to solve clues and find as many song fragments as they can, logging their finds on an interactive website - beaconsproject.uk. The more they find, the more chance a Sea Gooseberry will ask to be looked after at their home where it will glow brightly in their window until The Gathering.

The Gathering is on Sunday 19 December, 3.30pm, when caretakers of the Sea Gooseberries are invited to assemble on Sunny Sands beach to reunite these magical creatures and reveal the ending of the story.

“Beacons is about celebrating our connections to each other, as humans, plants, and animals within a diverse and interdependent global ecosystem. ”

— Alison Neighbour

This will be through a memorable participatory light installation woven with live song and a warming fire that harks back to ancient community gatherings. It will only work with the presence of everyone bringing their Sea Gooseberry and playing their part. All are invited to come along to this free event where we will hear the song of the Sea Gooseberries at last.

Beacons is the culmination of 9 months of creative engagement workshops with the public led by a team of ‘Sea Gooseberry Guardians’ who live in Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh. They collected wisdoms from the wider community which now form part of The Quest experience, embedding local reflections on the environment within the adventure.

Beacons has been created by Folkestone-based scenographer and artist Alison Neighbour, alongside sonic artist and composer Emily Peasgood, creative technologist and game designer Tarim, wearable sound system designer Alistair Harle, and a team of other local creatives.

Alison Neighbour, said: “Beacons is about celebrating our connections to each other, as humans, plants, and animals within a diverse and interdependent global ecosystem. The shape of the project echoes the story of us all being dependent on one another - it only works if everyone plays their part. The reward of the magical light installation is only possible if everyone shows up on the beach with their Sea Gooseberries. I'm really excited to invite everyone to gather on the beach around a fire for a modern take on an ancient way of gathering.”

It is produced by arts organisations SparkedEcho and Creative Folkestone with funding from Arts Council England, PRS Foundation, The Ashley Family Foundation and donations from individuals.

Kevin Grist, Director of SparkedEcho said: “Behind the scenes we're using some pioneering and bespoke technology to make Beacons work, both with the Sea Gooseberries and the performer costumes. We’ve consciously used sustainable materials throughout. The great thing is you can take part without a phone or wifi. It's accessible in a lo-fi way. You still get to fully experience the magic of the Sea Gooseberries as they light up in your hand.”

For more info visit: https://www.beaconsproject.uk/