Illuminating York set to return

BRACE yourselves for a shock. Some time after 7pm on Wednesday October 26, the former women’s prison that is now a wing of the Castle Museum will erupt in a spectacular explosion.

Don’t worry, it won’t literally blow sky high. But for those watching the main event at this year’s Illuminating York Festival, it may seem as though it does.

“We’re certainly hoping to achieve the illusion of reality,” admits Ben Stern, the project manager of the Envisions light and sound spectacular which will be beamed on to the walls of the women’s prison.

The reason for the ‘explosion’? To commemorate the life of that notorious son of York, Guy Fawkes, of course.

Wouldn’t fireworks be enough? Well, no, says Ben. Fawkes was part of a plot that tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. “So I think we need some kind of explosion.”

Last year, it was the South Transept of York Minster that was lit up in spectacular style during the city’s annual festival of light and sound.

This year, the focus moves to the Eye of York. The main event, Envisions, is a collaboration between London-based GaiaNova – which brought the tag tool to York’s Multangular Tower in the Museum Gardens two years ago – and United VJs (think DJs but with video).

The theme is ‘Echoes of York’. And the aim, Ben says, is to use digital, sound and visual technology to tell the story, in light and sound, of York, its 200 years of history, and its people. People such as Guy Fawkes and Dick Turpin – but also lesser-known characters who have contributed to the story of York.

Ben was in York this week researching such stories – of which there ‘seem to be a huge number’, he says. Many are pretty grim – especially those associated with Clifford’s Tower and the old prison.

“There’s lots of raping and pillaging – and of course at the prison there was hanging and death.” But Ben has been searching out lighter, happier stories too.

He spent hours combing through old footage at the Yorkshire Film Archive looking for more cheerful material. And did anything catch his eye?

“My favourite thing – the weirdest thing I found – was film of policemen swimming across a pond, with their helmets on, blowing corks in front of them.”

Weird is the word: but it was definitely a pond somewhere in York, Ben insists. So will that footage make its way into the light show? “I’ve no idea!”

It is impossible at this stage to say exactly how the display will turn out, he admits. “We’re still making it.” But it will be exciting, he promises.

Digital, sound and audio technology will be used to create a shifting display of light and images that will be beamed across the entire face of the old women’s prison from six huge projectors. It will use film footage, graphics and animation to create a moving display that, he promises, will be “big, bright, colourful and bold”.

The soundtrack – he calls it a “soundscape” – that accompanies it will be equally bold and contemporary, incorporating music and sound effects.

The light and sound artwork is being prepared in advance, by teams working in London, Germany and Brazil. But it will never be entirely fixed.

Throughout the four nights of the show – from October 26 to 29 – ‘VJs’ Zaz and Spetto – new media artists from Portugal and Brazil respectively – will cut and mix each performance live, so no two shows are ever quite the same.

“It is going to be different,” Ben says.

The Envisions display at the Eye of York promises to be the most dramatic and exciting event at this year’s Illuminating York Festival.

But there will be plenty more going on as well.

York’s rich history will also be celebrated in Contours, a show by sound artist Karen Monid. And there will be the biggest programme ever of supporting events – everything from torchlit tours to spooky stories and even haunting music from Finland by an all-female voice choir known as Enkelit.

The theme of these supporting events this year is ‘haunted York’ – very appropriate, given the city’s reputation as the most haunted in Europe.

Organisers are confident this year’s event will be s popular as ever.

“More than 60,000 people experienced Illuminating York in 2010,” says Sonja Crisp, City of York Council’s executive member for leisure, culture and social inclusion.

“We are confident that we will see as many again with this year’s mix of cutting edge technology, ghostly tours and a host of fringe events that promise to make this year’s festival the biggest and most spectacular yet.”

• The 2011 Illuminating York festival runs from October 26-29, from 6.30pm to 10pm each evening. To find out more, visit illuminatingyork.org or phone the Visit York Information Centre on 01904 550099.