Outdoor theatre
Photo above taken by Neil Hanna
STORM, a ten metre tall goddess of the sea, has emerged from the deep to encourage us all to celebrate our seas, care for our coastlines and empower us all to put the environment first.
Two years in the making, STORM is a new feat of mechanical mastery created in response to the climate crisis by the formidable puppeteering duo Symon Macintyre and Kim Bergsagel.
Made from entirely recycled materials, STORM’s eyes are the colour of oyster shells, her hair thick strands of kelp, her voice the chorus of the waves. Aided by eight puppeteers, STORM will walk the streets of Scotland. She began her journey as part of Celtic Connections’ inaugural Coastal Connections Day in January 2020, as one of the first events to mark Scotland’s official year of Coasts and Waters 2020. Now, following a break as a result of the pandemic, STORM is due to walk again in late summer and autumn 2021.
STORM is our most ambitious, challenging, and politically resonant project yet, and we are so thrilled to introduce you to her.
- “The stunning 10m tall Sea Goddess puppet” — Scotland.org
- “Wowed onlookers” — STV News
- “A 10-metre-tall ‘goddess of the sea’” — STV News
- “Folklore made real” — EdinburghGuide
- “Scotland’s largest puppet” — EdinburghGuide
- “Wowed thousands in the city centre” — The Sunday Post
- “Sea goddess with attitude” — The Press and Journal
- “Huge 32ft sea goddess emerges from the deep” — The Press and Journal
- “Glasgow city centre taken by storm” — The Scottish Sun
Office Team
Symon Macintyre – Artistic Director
Tom Watton – Project & Production Manager
Catriona Smith – Administrative Assistance
Susan Wilson – Financial Administrator
Kim Bergsagel – Creative Director (Lead designer)
Artistic Team
Sara Best – Lead Willower
Dave Barfoot – Lead Fabricator
Ingrid Scholes – Costumier
Tom Caine – Lighting Technician
Alice Knight – Maker
Koren Dumbleton – Maker
Joseph Seal – Sound Mixer and Assistant Stage Manager
Mairi Campbell – Music and Soundscape Composition
David Gray – Music and Soundscape Composition
Gregg Dobson – Consultant Engineer (pre-fabrication)
Cameron Phair – Second Assistant Stage Manager
Volunteer Makers
Amy Shek
Fibi Cowley
Helen Bradburn
Monika Wolf Murray
Puppeteers 2021 tour
Lead Puppeteer
Kim Bergsagel
Puppeteers
Alice Knight
Catriona Smith
Dave Barfoot
Emma Reid
Ewan Macintyre
Jessica Innes
Lisette Boxman
Marie Williamson
Craig Sutherland
Nikoletta Louca
Rosamund McCormack
Rachael Macintyre
Production Team 2021 tour
Charles Macintyre – Stage Manager
Russell McMahon – COVID Officer
Tom Watton – Production and Event Manager
Vision Mechanics Board of Trustees
Adrian Barber
Maddy Berg
Isobel Gray
Anne Fleming
Helen Milne
Caroline Lyon
Richard Thomas
Tom Watton
Marketing and Communications Team
Colin Purves (It’s Alive Design)- Website, Animation and Video
Emma Westwater – Marketing Designs
Ray Kane – Videographer
Lorna Simpson – Videographer
StoryTelling PR – Marketing and Communications
Loukia Kattis (Comic Book/Program Design)
With Special Thanks to
Shona, and the wonderful people at Nutscene, Forfar
Students and Staff of Edinburgh College and Glasgow Kelvin College
Particular thanks to Meggy Viana (Choreography), Stella Tobia (Film/TV)
A.T. Best Handlers Ltd – Richard Rose, John Shute & Lorna
All the team at Visit Scotland and Event Scotland and in particular Sarah Jane Dooley
Creative Scotland – Vanessa Boyd
Arts and Business Scotland – Carl Wood
Jonny Crombie
Storytelling PR Team – Emma Costello, Miriam Attwood, Mim Black, Harry Harris
George Brown & Sons (Leith)
Addison Conservation + Design
Findlay Lockie
STORM’s internal engineering was remodelled from original work by Simon Owen and Vladimero Guerriero created for Big Man Walking, by Vision Mechanics.
Storm has been made possible through the generous support of:
