Florence de Schlichting
Podcaster
March - April 2024
- New Media
“During my one-month stay on board the MARIUS container ship, I will travel from New York to Papeete, and create a podcast about the maritime world along the way.”
I began my career in the audiovisual sector after completing a degree in media and communication, specializing in documentary film, at Goldsmiths, University of London.
My fascination with the podcast medium arose when I was asked to work on a documentary podcast to accompany the Netflix series Stateless. It was through this project, which gives a voice to the many refugees who have undertaken nightmarish journeys, that I came to understand the power that podcasting could lend to words and language.
This sparked my interest in the ways in which language shapes thought, and I decided to begin my master’s in sociocultural linguistics while continuing with my professional projects. This gave me an idea for another podcast, which I now produce in conjunction with my dissertation on multilingual couples. As a polyglot myself, I host this podcast in which I ask couples about the way language shapes and influences their relationships.
After moving onto a barge within a boating community on the Thames, I began to take an interest in the maritime world, which I also explore via the audio format, specifically through sound poems that delve into life on the water.
My podcast series will recount my stay on board the MARIUS container ship. The series will follow my journey as a crew member and describe my gradual process of immersion in seafaring life. In the role of storyteller, I will record my daily experiences following a diaristic approach.
I will also interview crew and staff members to learn of their stories and what it means for them to live aboard the MARIUS, hoping to capture some of their more private moments to give a sense of the difficult living conditions that they face.
Another part of this series will involve recording the various sounds heard on board. I have always been fascinated by the coexistence of industrial sounds—like metal, engines, and ropes—with those of the ocean and the gulls.
I would also like to touch on the policies and regulations that govern maritime navigation in order to understand what is permitted at sea in different parts of the world, as well as the related risks and challenges of seafaring.
Ultimately, the goal of the project will be to explain what is involved in the world of maritime transport and to find out why we have such a poor understanding of this industry.
During my one-month stay on board the MARIUS container ship, I will travel from New York to Papeete, and create a podcast about the maritime world along the way.