The Mariner – although written 200 years ago – is more pertinent than ever, forewarning us at our own peril about the abuse of nature, and how we are all interconnected. “If ever there was a time for culture it is now. The 40 readings are accompanied by works from artists including Cornelia Parker, Marina Abramović, Linder Sterling, Mark Dion, Gordon Cheung and Gavin Turk, who have interpreted the themes through perspectives such as ecology and the environment, colonialism, morality, and human vulnerability.Īngela Cockayne, Reader and Associate Lecturer at Bath Spa University, said: Launched on Saturday 18 April with a reading by actor and activist Jeremy Irons, the Ancient Mariner Big Read will also feature recordings by Tilda Swinton, Hilary Mantel, Lemn Sissay and Alan Bennett. They previously collaborated on the Moby-Dick Big Read, which has gathered over 10 million hits since first being broadcast in 2012. The project has been curated by author Philip Hoare, artist Angela Cockayne and Dr Sarah Chapman, Director of The Arts Institute. Once complete, it will be available to listen to as one symphonic piece with a specially designed soundscape by Jay Auborn.įree to access, the readings will also be accompanied by outstanding work from international contemporary artists and paired with relevant scientific research in fields including marine science and climate breakdown.

The 150-verse poem has been divided into 40 readings, with each reader recording a sequence of three to four verses to be broadcast over the internet, day by day. With that in mind, the Ancient Mariner Big Read – commissioned by The Arts Institute, University of Plymouth – brings together renowned public figures, artists and scientists to retell the poem for a modern audience.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is an epic tale of adventure, fear and fascination – a work of 18th century science fiction that has prophetic messages for the natural world, climate breakdown and mental health globally relevant in the 21st century. Stars of the stage and screen, arts and music are helping to transform one of English Literature’s most celebrated poems for the digital age.

The ancient mariner by st coleridge