Surrounded by waters

A re-imagined ritual connects to

the earth, granite, and waters

Travelling back through time-

What judgement whispers carried

with them

Marked.

Marked for life, marked for death,

marked for ashes.

Invocating the lives lost, the lives stolen, the lives marked

To reclaim, to remember

Humans bleeding red.

Humans burning black.

Humans strangled to death...

Called them witches.

Burnt to ashes.

Marked by smoke,

Remembered in salt.

Invocating the lives lost, the lives stolen, the lives marked.

To reclaim, to remember.

We remain-

in the earth

in the granite

in the waters

Mark our lives

mark our breaths

mark our love for the world

Mark our ashes

Mark our ashes

This piece opens by honouring Jersey’s sea and granite through percussive sounds. It remembers those who were lost, and acknowledges their connection to the landscape. We glimpse the stories of Marie Esnouf, said to have a witch’s mark on her palate; Symon Vaudin, accused of speaking with the devil in the form of a cat and a crow; and Jeanne Le Vesconte, a healer accused of witchcraft. The performers’ movements reflect the weight of these histories, moments of struggle, resistance, and release. Clasped hands, repeated gestures and bursts of energy mark a shared attempt to push back, to endure and reflect the anguish. The final section remembers the accused as individuals rather than victims, celebrating their inner strength and their connection with their ancestry.