13ft sea giant descends upon Corby town centre as part of Splore at The Core

A number of performers, including Eko, a 13ft sea giant, were out in Corby town centre today as part of Splore at The Core.

Splore (noun Scot. a frolic; revel; a commotion)

Splore at the Core is two days of performances, activities and workshops that have descended on the town centre this February half-term.

Joe Flavin said: “We did the Grow Festival in 2018, 2019 and 2020 but this is the first time we’ve had an opportunity to do something outdoors since then. While this is nowhere near the same scale, it does kind of lend itself to the best bits that we learned from those festivals, just popping up in outdoor locations, popping up when people are having a coffee or doing their shopping. It should bring a bit of fun to the half-term break.”

Today’s activities included a walkabout with Eko, a spectacular 13ft sea giant who rose from the deep ocean to parade through the town centre greeting people as he passed.

Once returned to the theatre, Eko and Autin Dance Theatre performed Out of The Deep Blue, a fully inclusive tale told through dance, movement and puppeteering.

Johnny Autin said: “He’s [Eko] a puppet, operated by five puppeteers. He’s coming to tell a story around the ocean and environmental issues, climate change and sustainability.

“In outdoor settings, you get a big footfall of audiences because it is free and we love to make art accessible to everybody.

“We knew we wanted to do an outdoor show and we knew we wanted to talk about being more sustainable. We thought ‘how can we pass that on to the kids without being boring?’ because if it doesn’t touch you, you don’t really make the change and that story [Out of The Deep Blue] is really about love and empathy and about friendship. The message is more about how to listen to the natural world.”

Also today, participants from Core Create presented The Ocean Explorers, a fun, colourful and environmentally-themed free street performance for all.

There was also the Core’s Over 55s Dance group who gave a taster session as well as Beato Burrito, a comedy mariachi band.

Throughout the day Fly By Bars and street food vendors were set up in the decking area of the town.