Tidelines by Helen Ottaway

Tidelines is the soundtrack to the theatre show of the same name by First Cut Theatre Company (1989). The play is inspired by stories of Selkies or 'seal folk'.

Selkies are mythological beings capable of therianthropy, changing from seal to human form by shedding their skin. They are found in folktales and mythology originating from the Northern Isles of Scotland.

On the shorelines of a distant place a lonely girl turns to the sea for company. Questions that have troubled her all her life become urgent as confrontations reach crisis, until the intervention of a stranger leads to a new understanding. She finds the truth is more extraordinary than she ever imagined...

Helen Ottaway is a composer and installation artist specialising in collaborative, site-specific and participatory work. Artmusic creates sound installations for a wide variety of spaces indoor and out sometimes involving the stretching of sound and music across urban and rural sites.

Helen's music is inspired by places, buildings and landscapes and frequently has a connection with water.

artmusic.org.uk