Vespers reimagines Walyalup’s waters with a drifting chorus.
On the horizon, a small fleet of couta sailing boats assembles – calling out to the bilya (river), the wardan (ocean), while community gathers along the shoreline. Vespers is a sound, music and performance piece, carried across the river and sea.
An expanded presentation of its 2021 premiere, Vespers, reunites composer Rachael Dease and sound designer Tim Collins with Perth’s community of couta boat custodians and sailors. Over three weekends, these vessels become a floating choir, offering a sonic procession shaped by light, weather and water.
Live-mixed from the shoreline and from aboard the vessels, Vespers unfolds in real time. Boats drift downstream at sunrise and sunset—at once performers, dancers, and orchestra. With three new shows created for each location alongside local community choirs, Dease’s powerful new work is amplified across the water.
Vespers is created for the community, an offering of quietude and connection in uncertain times.
