Fire, Smoke And Mirrors, Queen’s Park, Brighton, May 2 and 3 (From The Argus)

Fire, Smoke And Mirrors, Queen’s Park, Brighton, May 2 and 3

10:32am Friday 1st May 2009 in Other festival events By Nione Meakin

Inspired by guest artistic director Anish Kapoor’s view that “the illusory is more poetically truthful than the real”, this free festival installation will see Queen’s Park transformed into an elemental nightscape of illusion and experience.

Light floods dark places; sound finds secret spaces; mirrors distort and reflect. Floating flames defy physical laws as water burns bright.

Coordinated by Salford-based Walk The Plank, specialists in blending visual images, fire, fireworks and music to create stunning outdoor events, the journey begins at the entrance of South Avenue and continues halfway around the lake before veering off on to a pre-defined path. This leads across a bridge and towards the bowling green. Participants can then wander via the pavilion until they reach the exit on East Drive.

From 8.30pm, when the first visitors can enter, through to 11pm, when the installation closes for the night, the park will flicker with the glow of tea lights, artists will forge metal into flaming trees and flowers, blow glass into strange forms and moments of pyrotechnic mischief will light up the night sky.

“Fire is one of the most natural and raw mediums you can work with – it takes on its own life,” explains Pete Mountain, lead artist for the project. “You can plan, test and design a show involving fire in detail but it will always add its own dimension and has a sense of unpredictability, which can create something magical.

“By using this raw medium and indeed playing with fire, you are in effect playing with nature. Embracing this element to create an illusionary landscape for Brighton Festival, in a park with such natural surroundings, will challenge the audience’s perception.”

• From 8.30pm to 11pm, free. Call 01273 709709 for more information