Kroovan Wings

Kroovan Wings is an innovative outdoor performance project that brings dance, costume, music and discussion together, championing a better understanding of the environment. It is a story about trees along with their historical and ecological significance. Gaelic craobh (pronounced kroov) means ‘tree’. Many trees make seeds that are winged and can travel long distances before they grow. This project looks at the life of two such trees, an ash and a sycamore, that have grown near to each other for over two hundred years. The project uses this pair of trees tell a story about the cycles of water and regeneration. The project began with a residency in The Workroom, Tramway, before going on to premier at Knockengorroch Festival. We have subsequently shown the work at Kelburn Garden Party, Outpost Arts at the Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, Wigtown Book Festival and at Nithraid for EcoArts in Dumfries.
In association with each host venue or organisation we will offer the possibility of an exhibition of writing, drawings, prints and costume. We have thirty years of experience presenting site-responsive work in outdoor and indoor locations. We will work in association with a venue partner at each location to ensure that we reach a broad audience demographic, coordinating logistical issues such as transport and access and the offer of a facilitated panel discussion about the ecology of trees. The performances can include live BSL within the choreography and the audience will have the opportunity to both see and touch the costumes during the performance.

Oceanallover and Alex Rigg have a reputation for excellence and originality in costume design. The Scales of the World and Kroovan Wings are evolving projects that allow for experimentation and play. The abstract nature of the work allows for a great opportunity to be inventive and innovative with costume. Central to the tour are a series of wearable artworks/sculptural costume designs that utilise physical shapes, colours and textures to communicate our ideas on ecology and mythology. We will bring you bold and innovative costume that is at the forefront of design in dance and theatre in the uk, featuring an evolving rostra of new costumes for 2025/26. We will also be offering the potential for a programme of costume workshops with young adults and professional makers in conjunction with our location partners.
This tour will give Oceanallover the opportunity to present a large body of design work to an increasingly appreciative and intrigued audience. Oceanallover and Alex Rigg were one of only two Scottish designers chosen to represent the UK as part of an exhibition in the V&A, London and the NCCD in Sleaford with the British Society of Theatre Designers. Costume design within the project is a powerful tool to draw in a new and curious audience to see work that they may otherwise choose not to attend. Our work is frequently described by the public as visual poetry, and this is made possible through a strong visual aesthetic.

Our style includes bouffant, physical theatre technique and promenade performance to communicate a story inspired by woodlands and the wildlife that inhabit these terrains. The public are invited to consider the physical form and effects of trees on their own lives, raising important questions for our communities at this time such as: Why do tree trigger such an emotional response in us? What gives us that jolt of inspiration and transcendence when we see a beautiful tree? How can I as an individual show what it is that I feel at such a moment? How can I help to look after our trees?
Original and innovative music is central to the performance process of Oceanallover.

Krista Hanson (Audience member at Kelburn Garden Party) “I found both of your performances absolutely incredible, magical, inspirational. The costumes were a delight, I’ve never experienced such beauty in costume design before, the textures, patterns, luxurious vibe. The performances were totally committed and exceptional. Thank you!!”