Deciphering

Being a kid is full of things that don’t make sense, Elise. We’re born into something that started ages ago and we’re playing catch up from the very beginning.

c.37,500 years ago on Sulawesi, Indonesia, someone made a series of markings on the wall of a cave.

Elise is eight years old. She’s in primary school, making shapes on a piece of paper.

Elise, aged 25, will try to defend her PhD on geometric symbols.

Elise, aged 48, will travel to Sulawesi to decipher a set of geometric symbols, before floods destroy them forever.

Her discoveries will shed new light on our collective instinct to make our mark on the world.

This edition was published to coincide with the UK School Tour in October 2025.

curious directiveis a Norwich-based theatre company led by Artistic Director, Jack Lowe. Since 2008, curious directive has collaborated with an evolving family of actors, creatives and technicians. Their work has spanned the mid-scale, like Fringe First Winner, Pioneer (2014), OffWest End nominated Deciphering (2021) or Norfolk Arts Award Winner, Spindrift (2022). We also innovate with small-scale digital work which connects cutting-edge technology with theatre, like virtual reality theatre hybrid Frogman (2017) and Gastronomic (2019). Critically acclaimed, with 17 prestigious arts-science nominations and awards (recently Best Sound Design/Best Set and Costume Design in 2021 for Deciphering).