As one ofthe co-founders, her words define the collective’s work to a tee.
Following last weekend’s seafront performances of The Iron Man, Alive and Tribal Assembly, the organisation is upping the ante with two specially commissioned works of visually dramatic aerial theatre that promise to leave audiences dumbstruck.
Taking place at dusk and tackling the subject of climate change – the performers from Wired Aerial Theatre are characters at the 2009 Copenhagen conference on climate change, where world leaders failed to reach an agreement on how to tackle the problem – As The World Tipped quite literally projects an off-kilter world out of control.
“It begins with a horizontal, conventional stage, but during the show the whole thing is raised up by a crane and starts tipping, flipping the performers off the stage with all the office furniture. It’s lifted up 30 metres into the air and becomes a vertical projection screen,” Clarke states.
“The performers then interact with a film that shows what is happening across the world due to climate change – they get blown about by hurricanes and tornados and so on.
“We’re not saying we have the solution, we’re just sharing some of the ideas and images we feel need to be addressed.”
The show has been in development since 2009 and Clarke admits that the project would never have happened if not for the experienced Wired Aerial Theatre production team – considered some of the best in the world in terms of rigging and aerial work – and the involvement of director Nigel Jamieson, currently working with Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks on mounting a stadium version of the children’s film How To Train Your Dragon.
“He specialises in very large scale events and is best known for being one of the key directors on the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics,” she says.
“We got to know him following his directorship of the closing ceremony of Manchester’s Commonwealth Games – he’s prolific in creating work with aerial performers that has a political edge and a strong narrative.”
Earlier in the day at the Old Paddling Pool site on the seafront, dance company Candoco, aerialists Scarabeus and award-winning writer Nicky Singer will collaborate on Heartland – described by Clarke as “a sophisticated retelling of the minotaur myth” – which focuses on the relationship between ground-based performers and those swinging in the air on an aerial dome rig.
Commissioned by Without Walls, the piece continues the organisation’s love of spectacle.
“The size and imagination that artists can bring to outdoor spaces is so exciting,” Clarke says.
Born from a concern about the viability and sustainability of outdoor festivals across the UK, the consortium of eight festivals nationwide aims to garner the level of support, profile and funding that more established indoor festivals often generate.
“Outdoor festivals come and go. We were aware that a lot of artists were creating work for an outdoor performance and, because there wasn’t an established touring circuit, the shows would be performed once or twice and never be seen again,” Clarke explains.
“We wanted to create an opportunity for those shows to grow and develop while supporting really ambitious outdoor work of high quality by artists from England.”
Such is the genre’s scale and power to mesmerise, provoke and educate, Clarke feels that its accessibility is paramount – reason alone for Without Wall’s projects to be free to see.
“Shows performed in public spaces reach people who might not necessarily go to a theatre, dance venue or gallery. There are challenges associated with working outside, that’s true, but there are things you can do outside that you simply can’t do in a theatre,” she says.
“That’s one of the things I love about working outdoors – there’s no barrier to ticket price or space – people feel they own that public space already and it is a delight to see all the different audiences.
“A lot of people are coming away saying they’re just amazing spectacles to watch. After the premiere of As The World Tipped, the director of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival texted me. It said ‘Genius’.”
* Heartland: 3pm & 5pm, As The World Tipped: 9pm, free, www.withoutwalls.uk.com
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