When the Light Goes Out
When the Light Goes Out by Cheshire East Council was two large-scale events to commemorate the end of the First World War.
Our job was to work out the where, when and how everything arrived and left on site, whilst leaving the smallest possible footprint.
Walk The Plank are a major producer of large spectacle events, and it has been a sought after ambition for us to be able to work with them. Founders, John Wassaell and Liz Pugh made us feel like family, and we had so much fun.
What was very clear from the start was the level of skill and ability to manage such a large scale project within the multi-tasking creative team.
The whole programme was documented and short films of each production released on the Green Space Dark Skies website, with a final film made that was released as a BBC Wales and Countryfile Special.
At the core of the project was lighting technology developed by Siemens.
Annabel Ohene and Nathaniel Fernandes were two Siemens graduates that worked on the devices, alongside engineering interns Sam Rhodes and Sam Newton, who joined the team during the development phase. The devices developed include GPS-enabled technology alongside innovations including Internet of Things (IoT), real time location tracking, energy storage and wireless connectivity.
By remotely changing the colour of the lights, each participant, or ‘Lumenator’, effectively became a pixel within a coordinated image of live artworks within the landscape.
So we got to play in the garden of the lady, Adelina Patti, who sat there and sang Opera of the day as it was being written by her lovers like Rossini.
Her gardens are now a country park, open to the public and managed by the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Walk the Plank’s creative team brought together some of the rising female talent in South Wales’ cultural scene to celebrate Mother Earth within the beautiful gardens where Madame Patti once sang.
Creative Producers Georgina Harris and Angharad Evans worked with contemporary Welsh artists, including composer Tayla Leigh Payne, performance poet and singer Teifi Emerald, creative writer Jodie Bond and dance collective Kitsch n Sync.
Mynydd Parys / Parys Mountain was once the largest copper mine in Europe. Copper and other precious metals were dug out by hand and exported by ships sailing from Porth Amlwch / Port Amlwch.
The creative team was built around contemporary Welsh talent – Bardd – local artists: Ed Holden, aka Welsh beatboxing legend Mr Phormula, originally from Amlwch; spoken word artist Martin Daws, and multi-instrumentalist Henry Horrell.
The Lumenators made a journey around the open cast mine at dusk, while listening to a bilingual soundtrack that included archive sound supplied by the Amlwch Industrial Heritage Trust, mixed with Bardd’s contemporary poetry and music created the soundscape which accompanied their journey.
The next evening, local people were invited to carry a light on the quayside in Amlwch Port as filming of the traditional schooner Vilma set sail, accompanied by the restored Cemaes lifeboat.
The departure of the boats illuminated with coppery lights was witnessed by more than 400 people, completing the story of the Copper Kingdom’s reach beyond the shores of Ynys Môn.
Written, directed and edited by Mark Murphy with a score by Nainita Desai and special effects by SFX Director and Senior Creative Advisor Richard Babington, the Finale film follows the journey of Lumenators that would ascend the 4 highest peaks of Great Britain: Scafell Pike (England), Ben Nevis (Scotland), Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon (Wales), and Slieve Donard (Ireland), where geolights, drones and camera crew had to be logistically carried to probably the most challenging locations possible.
For us, this meant 30 minute one way shuttle runs in a 4×4 along a precarious single track before getting to basecamp. Then the joy began setting out 600 lights along the lakeside ready for the film crew to catch the end of day light.
The Miners’ track is a popular path to reach the summit, beginning from Pen y Pass car park. It was initially built to serve the Britannia Copper Mine. Remains of the mine can be seen along the route.
As a finale this really summed up the joy of this project, to work in such spectacular landscapes, and being reminded that our time is just a fleeting moment.
When the Light Goes Out by Cheshire East Council was two large-scale events to commemorate the end of the First World War.
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A collection of large scale events focussed around the theme of transport, with walkabouts and performance acts.
Meadow Arts and Royal Worcester Museum take clay and explore it’s form and meaning.
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