Choreographer Edd Arnold explores the fragile relationship between mankind and the ocean through dance
As its waves undulate across the planet’s coastlines, and sea foam laps the shore, the ocean offers a lesson in organic movement – untamed, and a continual source of inspiration. Yet, mankind’s relationship with the ocean threatens to clog the world’s waterways – with waste and pollutants that destabilize the fragile ecosystem below.

In short film By the Sea, choreographer Edd Arnold explores the relationship between humans and the ocean through dance – an ode to the majesty of our waters, and our responsibility to protect them. Set to violinist Anna Phoebe’s hymn to the sea, featuring the ethereal Trans Voices choir, two dancers intertwine at the water’s edge, tumbling across the sand towards the waves. Turning and weaving through one another and the water, the dancers are transformed to become a part of the swell.

Shot over two days on the south coast of England, Arnold, along with cinematographer Ben Williams and co-director Sean Flanangan battled the waves to capture the supreme power of the water under an imposing storm. With the dancers positioned at the center of this force of nature – costumed in recycled ocean plastics – By the Sea offers a poignant statement of a fragile future that’s ours to secure.