Local poet Brook van der Linde was invited by by creative director Joel Vannfuller to join The Mermaids’ Song project, which deals with climate change and, specifically, with sea level rise.
“Two thousand Forty Seven” is the second piece van der Linde wrote for The Mermaids’ Song. (Climate change researchers have pinpointed the year 2047 as the unprecedented shift or “climate departure.”) Part sung, part spoken, its brevity speaks volumes. “I tried to take a subway, had to take a submarine,” van der Linde sings, her unwavering gaze holding the camera.
“Somewhat independent of the project, I chose to make this video with Wake Forest film-making professor, Chris Zaluski,” she says of the resulting video. “I’ve wanted to make the leap from spoken word to music for years and this project has given me the nudge. I’m [psyched] to continue writing for the project, but I’m also [psyched] to make my own music with my own topics.”
