So far in the Dip Your Toe journey

Over the past few weeks, you may have spotted around Brighton centre and along the shore, the resurrection of several Victorian-style bathing machines. No, your eyes have not deceived you; these six replica bathing machines are the creation of the Nightingale, working with The Malborough Theatre and Brighton Fringe, to celebrate the maiden voyage of Lone Twin’s The Boat Project. 

Positioned in key spots around the city, including Brighton train station, the West Pier, and Churchill Square, these spectacular machines have been the platform from which a variety of South East artists have been commissioned to develop new ideas. Performances happen both within the bathing machines, and around them, ensuring a different experience with each encounter. Each weekend in May will see the bathing machines come alive, buzzing with creative activities, from a piece worked around a working camera obscura, to the revealing of memories you may (or may not!) have had, each bathing machine has been interpreted and utilised in such different ways. Dip Your Toe has already had two very successful weekends of street performance, and still have another two to come.

Reviewed by Alice Jones of The Independent as “by far the most exciting commission of the festival” (read the four star Independent review here), the Dip Your Toe programme has so far been met by glowing responses.

Puppet maestro Boogaloo Stu’s whimsical piece, which involves describing your ideal lover, was given a **** rating by Latest7

A Small Museum of Displaced Sea, reviewed as “a particular gem” of the Dip Your Toe programme is a miniature musuem with collected memories of the coast inside.

Based on the concept that theatre can happen anywhere, Dip Your Toe takes full advantage of this and provides a treat for the audience. With a mix of free and ticketed events, Dip Your Toe is a must-see for any budget.

Having acted a steward for several of the bathing machines, I’ve seen the reactions of the visitors to the machines. Vivascope is consistently well received and delights the intimate audience of 5 with each reveal of the camera obscura. 

Located outside Brighton Station, Swimming in the Persian Sea is a piece based around the stories of local Iranian women, and artist Philippa Vafadari tells tales from bathing in burkinis to exile in Brighton, and is quoted to be “well worth dipping in to”.

Artistic director of the Nightingale, Steven Brett, said: “It’s a producer’s dream when a project becomes so much more than you imagined it could be when you first embarked on the journey, and with all the fantastic people involved, Dip Your Toe is doing just that.”

All six of the beautiful machines will be out and about this weekend, and will all meet together on Madeira Drive to wave goodbye the the Lone Twin Boat on the last weekend of May. The weather is due to be clear and dry this weekend (fingers crossed!), so no excuse not to pay the bathing machines a visit!

Living on the fringes

Reblogged from witnesstoexperience:

Continuing my thought process from the other day regarding how the space of the fringe is defined, I’m now thinking what happens when this space is home? How does the fringe setting up camp alter the way you perceive – or exist in – the place you live? Does it have any effect at all, or can the fringe just pass you by?

Read more… 450 more words

Vivascope is on the beach!

Vivascope arrives at the West Pier

We’ve written a bit about our experiences of getting it this far on the Vivascope blog…
- Seth & Zoe

Dip Your Toe -what a journey

I can hardly  believe that in just 10 days there will be six beautiful bathing machines dotted around Brighton bringing to life a dream, an idea, an ideal started just over a year ago.  There will be time to digest how the whole project works, but for the moment I would like to gasp deeply and acknowledge the journey so far and especially those who have contributed so, so much.

For my part, it is one thing to have an idea – it is quite another to harness the talents of so many in order to make that a reality.  There are so many talented people working tirelessly and generously, to make six wooden sheds on wheels splendidly magical experiences.

In no particular order – it takes a special person to have the idea, the mad idea…and then suggest it as not only feasible but uniquely apt for the ‘other’ project we were looking to respond to.  David Sheppeard was that visionary.  The man who had the audacity to say ‘This is what we should do’.  Thank you David for starting us off on such an adventure.

Then the team assembled.  Trusted professionals who also saw the potential to create some real landmarks for Brighton – Firstly, and most closely Kate Gowar, my friend and mind reader, as the ever positive and practical mind who saw precisely how to make it happen and who else we needed; Janine Fletcher who jumped up and dived in; our partners at Brighton Fringe who stepped out of a tradition and supported a singel project (mind you, who wouldn’t!); Faith Dodkins who has been a picture of efficiency and calm when all around her…well you know how it goes!; Greg Mickelborough who has already erected 14 bathing machines in eight different sites before we have properly started and is still enthusiastic; Liberty Martin who has lead, with a tireless smile and enthusiasm, on keeping us all informed of what has been happening where and how (and got me to blog!); Paul Farringdon who gave us a memorable logo and web; Alice Booth, Craig Mathewson and Lesley Wood who have strived to find our extra funding; and Eddie Crowther and his team who built our precious babies with vigour and no little bemusement.  And that is just the producing team!

The real accolades, though, will, and should, go to all the artists and their creative teams who have had the vision to take an off the wall idea and make something really special to inhabit each bathing machine.  To make it truly their own.  To live with their own ideas.  To battle with those ideas, because performing art is not always a stroll through the theatrical park, and come out the other end with works which have become part of their machines.

I am so excited to see them all adorning the streets of Brighton.  Each a world to discover be that for five, ten, 20 or 60 minutes.  I am so proud, too, of all the above and so many more who have boldly gone where angels feared to tread and create (and indeed recreate) a little bit of Brighton history.

From the sea – an inspiration and beautiful small world reality.

Strandline – the giant kaleidoscope cometh

We have been beavering away and now am in the final stages of putting our giant kaleidoscope together.

Although its been pretty cold in St Marks church we worked up a sweat putting the kaleidoscope together over 3m squared of glass and wood. That’s a lot of bad luck and a lot of swearing if they smashed but less speed more haste was the name of the game for its construction. Fingers crossed that it will be ok in the real set up for the 5th May.

Set up and ready to go, the kaleidoscope looks the business and we were squealing with joy on how beautiful it all looks.

So, final edit to be done, soundtrack to be added, blacks to be sewn and attached, then breathe!!

Kissing the Gunner’s Daughter / Salty Sea Dogs Parade

 

Here are some pics of the St Lukes Salty Sea Dogs Parade, part of Grist to the Mill’s Kissing the Gunner’s Daughter commissioned for Dip your Toe.

A passing parent’s comment made my day: ‘Is that an original Edwardian bathing machine? Are you going to renovate it for the Brighton Festival?’
Ho ho! The machine was freshly back from a transformation in paint and barnacles from Paul Harrison, brief to make the machine look like it had just been dragged from the sea. Mission accomplished! Nice one Paul.

The sun shone, the children paraded beautifully and peeped magnificently. Its quite creepy inside the machine with all those little eyes spying in!

The children also made wonderful cardboard peep-boxes which will be on display in the back of the Fishing Museum during week-end in May.

More children’s work at Kissing the Gunner’s Daughter blog

More about Grist to the Mill

In the Workshop

Here are some pictures of the first bathing machine mid-build, while it was still all bare in the workshop. From a working camera obscura to A Small Museum of Displaced Sea, each of the six bathing machines will be customised for a new performance.

If a bathing machine can be described as a beach hut on wheels, then this is the hut part…

And these are the wheel parts…

This beautiful specimen was unveiled at the launch of the Brighton Fringe programme, with a fresh coat of paint and a preview performance of Puppet Paramour from the inimitable Boogaloo Stu.

Now, just to make five more like this one…