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What does the sea turtle tell us about origins?

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Turtle Bridge is a visual-poetic art project by Mirthe Dokter on how stories and metaphors can contribute to nature conservation, to our connection with nature, and to our awareness of the stories that have shaped us. Ancient myths and new perspectives intertwine with song, visual art and interviews — from the International Sea Turtle Symposium in Ghana, along the coast of West Africa, to a studio in Brussels.

In the first Turtle Bridge Session Mirthe lays down an unexpected bridge between the lifestyle of the sea turtle and the philosophy of pregnancy. The audience is first taken on a journey through a performance featuring video, singing, and stories from the interviews. This is followed by a discussion where we try to connect those stories to our own lives. To conclude, the audience helps build a large shield — a co-creative object that grows further during each subsequent session. A shield is a home that can carry many stories with it.

Turtle Bridge stems from research into marine ecology and sea turtles in West Africa and with European scientists, since 2018. It builds upon the award-winning documentary The Hardened Back, the solo performance Leatherback, the animation Erocean, and installation & performance Beyond the Sea — die Mirthe in 2023/24 samen met Rif ontwikkelde. Turtle Bridge is in a way the answer to Beyond the Seawhere that work sought the sea itself, we return here to the land to pass on the stories.

During her residency at Rif, Mirthe edits the interviews from Ghana, composes new music, and builds the scenography. During a Open Studio shares the first elements. The complete Turtle Bridge Session will be presented in Brussels, among other places, in autumn 2026.

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Open Studio · Wednesday 27 May · 2 PM Rif · Deurneleitje 6, 2640 Mortsel · free, no reservation needed

With thanks to the marine ecologists and conservationists at the International Sea Turtle Symposium #43 in Ghana
With support from: Municipality of Sint-Gillis, RIF and Foundation Pollif Projects

For data and updates: www.mirthedokter.nl