The Anthropecenic Garden is a haven of connection between animals, vegetable and minerals. Songs of the Earth are evoked and imagined through natural soundscapes and the human voice interfaced with electronics. Images of creatures and beings once extinct are reanimated through projections, and our sense of space is activated through dance and movement. We ask ‘what does it mean to witness and interact with our land?’ What is real and what is artificial? And bucolic as it may be, this scene is anthropocenic – among the lavish growth, witness also the harm done by our species, via pollution, construction and deconstruction, which has placed our earth on its last leg. By making contact with nature, are we connecting, or are we destroying?
Deep in the heart of The Complex, discover a series of transformed spaces and performance zones featuring live music, dance, soundscapes and visions created by groups of artists and performers.
Embark on a journey that starts in the weird artificial commercial environment of the ex-office building itself, but that will take you through mountains, wasteland, forest and gardens, down to the deep sea bed and even into the depths of the geology of the centre of the Earth.
The Environments will run on a loop every night of the festival, from 6pm until late.
You’ll be able to choose a time to start your journey, and once you start exploring this strange dark world, you will find you can roam freely, taking in these Environments as they each come to life and die back back down in a cycle that repeats throughout the whole evening.
Become completely immersed in the creative visions spread throughout the venue, or step out to explore the bars, live music and spoken word performances before you plunge back into your journey of discovery.
At the conclusion of each night, everyone will come together for a big party in the Club Space and Cabaret Stage.
The Environments will run every night of Hidden Door 2023.