The People Who Came From The Sea

Have you forgotten your heir, and your kingdom,

The kingdom you buried under shadows of verses sung.

Did you still hear the past when you fell asleep

While you waited for the memories to illuminate another song.

Eliyah Mesayer

`The People Who Came From The Sea ´

The T.N.G. Freedom Fleet

The origins of the idea

The idea to create a conceptual fleet was conceived by recalling strong memories with a specific geographic location. In the Haaland district of Sweden resides the Mahnfelt Family. They have constructed a wonderful house on the shore of Måsen, a beautiful lake which is circa five kilometres in length. Whatever the season of the year the view of the lake from any angle and the surrounding landscape are contentedly beautiful and visually invigorating.

For myself, from growing up in the war torn city of Coventry where bomb craters were the playground of the day to experience a dramatic and imposing landscape in another country is as troubling for the soul as it is pleasantly overwhelming. The wonderful rural isolation allows for the experience to hear the echo of raw nature, tremendous scents, a positive state of loneliness and above all, a star filled heaven that provides a true sensation of infinity.

Måsen and the surrounding landscape fertilised the imagination into it becoming a large fjord of an

unfathomable length, breadth and resounding depth. Within the branches and inlets one could imagine the construction of a fleet, secretly constructed, a conceptual Ark of a thousand vessels making ready for a generational biblical exodus. Applying the imagined concept to create a functioning storyline that could be applied to a hands on sculpture/installation project was a self evident transformation. The young people of the the world are having a hard time. It will definitely get harder. As a creator of sculpture, metaphors, active catalysts and poetic renderings are some of the tools that assist the pursuit of the active and physical narrative. The idea of constructing a fleet to enable a generation to depart the present state of the world contained the positive germ that gave vigour to pursue a vision into the reality of "we are soon ready to sail".