We are exploring the theme of public space and ‘culture’ that is not confined to an enclosed setting such as a gallery or an auditorium. In Hope Street, there are many examples. The buildings, architecture in general; the ‘cafe culture; the staues or installations; perhaps most of all the use of Hope Street as the open air location for so many events.
Here is the Aerial Theatre Company’s production of As the World Tipped on 30 and 31 July, performed in front of the Anglican Cathedra’. The cathedral itself stayed open until after 10p.m. and many who had never entered it went in. Others took advantage of the display of the Everyman’s model of its new theatre opening in 2013. There was also an exhibition by the South Liverpool Art Group.
The show itself was attended by hundreds. We found out later that as so often happens many people didn’t know it was on. Food for thought: perhaps you have to be, by habit or circumstance, linked in to publicity, e.g. through the internet or being on mailing lists or reading a local paper or popping in to the tourist office. Perhaps there are those who do none of these things but would love to attend events such as this.
The show begins with a depiction of negotiations at the Copenhagen Climate summit. Millions of words, lists of extinct animals, rhetoric, paper, disagreements, stalemates – then the stage begins to tilt and the boxes of files and the desks and flags disappear into the abyss while those taking part scramble up to the now vertical top edge of the stage holding on for dear life. Then begins a wonderful aerial display with brilliant image projections.
The start of this video is a bit shaky but bear with it as the quality improves. Part 2 is below
Hope Street Chronicles 