FREE TWILIGHT WORLD IN CHESTER ROMAN GARDEN
29th September 2009
The fall of the Roman Empire has inspired a FREE performance and installation event. For one weekend this October Chester’s Roman Garden and city walls will be transformed into a virtual stage, transporting audiences into a mysterious autumnal world.
Chester Performs’ FREE performance and installation event Up the Wall returns for its third year on Friday 23rd & Saturday 24th October. Over 25 artists will descend onto the city for one of the largest performance and installation events to ever come to Chester.
The programme has drawn artists both locally, nationally and internationally, featuring companies from New York, Germany, Bulgaria and Belgium. This year’s highlights include architectural projections, laser shows, slap stick comedy, instrumentals, historical re-enactments, treasure hunts and illuminations.
Up the Wall 2009 is inspired by the fall and decline of the Roman Empire. Chester’s Roman history is world renowned, a walled city, with a castle and the original Roman roads are still intact in the city centre. This inescapable history lead to over 70 professional artists applying to take part in the event.
Amber Knipe, Programme Manager, Chester Performs said ‘This year’s Up the Wall is our most ambitious yet, we’ve commissioned professional artists from Cheshire to New York. We’re very excited to be working with such a diverse programme, the idea of the decline of the Roman Empire proved to be a real inspiration. We hope the free event offers something special for people to witness in the city’.
Audiences are invited to experience the event at their own pace anytime between 7pm & 9pm on either evening.
Event highlights
Through the Wall by Proto-type Theater, a series of video projections of iconic sites from around the world will be projected onto the city walls. The images will portray an audience member walking through a famous locality in the world, such as 10 Downing Street or the Great Wall of China.
History by Action Hero, a timeline displaying 2709 years of Chester’s history, created by the historical discoveries of people and community groups in Chester, will be performed by critically acclaimed artists.
Roman Chester Reprojections German born Harald Symkla will project animations from an Overhead Projector onto scenes happening in the Garden during the event.
Rewritten – a Roman defence ditch will be re-created using nothing but lasers
Commond Ground Audiences will join an MP3 tour through the Roman Garden, set as though the 21st century is in the far away past, it will be a glimpse at the future of modern day Britain.
Into the Tilt performances on a Celtic Harp with original spoken word, describing an imaginary world as though from the perspective of the ancient city walls.
Up Summanus! A slap stick performance of a mock ritual will see two actors performing as sprites attempting to invoke Summanus and Bacchus – the Gods of nocturnal thunder and wine.
ENDS