It has always been a subject of much discussion whether art should be political. The reporting of The Outlaw Ocean is as urgent as it is unavoidably political. By bringing journalism and music together, this project gives artists the chance to explore Ian’s reporting and reconstruct it into a different language, a musical one that appeals to an audience that wouldn’t typically read this kind of work. 

Born and bred by the seaside, my first aspiration was to delve into oceanology. Though I have long since abandoned that dream for a life of art, my fascination (and fear) of the ocean never stopped growing. After Ian’s work was brought to my attention, I showed it to my father. Once a sailor and captain of several ships, he told me countless stories that I’d never heard from him before, stories that were sometimes even identical to what I was reading in Ian’s reporting about the lawless seas. The Outlaw Ocean felt very personal to me from the start, but this was the first time that as an artist, I created something that drew direct inspiration from reality—a reality that, until now, remained largely unknown to most of us.

Now that The Outlaw Ocean has brought attention to what life is like on the remote seas, the ways in which our oceanic biome is being damaged, it is up to us to understand the role our actions inadvertently—and advertently—play in the greater scheme of things. The lives of the people out on the ocean and our planet’s well-being are a collective responsibility. Ian’s documenting and reporting have bridged the gap between our personal safe space of ignorance and the reality of what happens “out there.” The reporting must go on.

VHS Dreams