From a mysterious Portal on a beach to The Black Victorians, Arts by the Sea brings world class entertainment to the streets of Bournemouth at the end of September.
PORTAL on the Beach
An exciting world premiere can be admired on Bournemouth Beach throughout the festival. PORTAL is a dramatic art installation, standing at 15 metres tall. Created by the multi-disciplinary design studio, Lucid Creates – who are renowned for making extraordinary pieces in places from Glastonbury to Wembley - you’ll spot its vast, giant archway from afar, lined with lights which move and shift to create a mesmerising and ethereal display of glowing light and patterns. A monument and a beacon of light and hope, PORTAL promises to evoke awe and wonder, set against the ever-changing landscape to create a breath-taking moment in time.
On Bournemouth Beach, September 27 – October 4
BCP Mix by DJ Yoda
Hot on the heels of the viral success of DJ Yoda’s Stranger Things Mix, the multi-award-winning hip-hop DJ and producer appears as part of the festival’s headline opening spectacular at the Civic Centre. In a one-off, 20-minute performance, the respected DJ performs a live bespoke audio–visual display featuring video moments taken from across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole projected onto the façade of the building on Bourne Avenue. This will be the first time DJ Yoda’s work has been seen on an object so large, which along with its exclusive BCP bespoke content, makes this a very special premiere for Bournemouth.
Civic Centre, September 29, 7.30 - 7.50pm
Dial Down Your Shame in a phone box
Thought-provoking and colourful, the internationally acclaimed artist Annie Frost Nicholson aka The Fandangoe Kid is Arts by the Sea’s 2023 Artist-in-Residence. Find the transformed phone boxes around town to experience Annie’s Dial Down Your Shame project. On stepping into the booth, you’ll be met by a soundscape made by the Brighton sound studio, Agnes Haus, and invited to take a moment to reflect upon what it is to experience the human emotion of shame, Annie promises you’ll come away feeling calmer! Also enjoy Annie’s work projected onto the façade of the Civic Centre after 6pm throughout the festival.
Phone boxes around town
Break Down Walls with a flash mob
This promises to be a big moment for Arts by the Sea 2023. A co-commission with Pavilion Dance South West, it will showcase the amazing residents of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole through a collective flash-mob style dance piece. Witness the magic as festival goers, community dance troupes, and schools come together to perform a thrilling routine in unison. You can watch or join in by learning the routine in advance using the helpful video tutorial, available at artsbythesea.co.uk. The piece is choreographed by Jazz Gritt and Victor Fung and is accompanied by the rhythmic beats of Town of Cats.
Central Bournemouth, October 1, 4-5pm
Serving Sounds not Beer (working boys pic)
Poole-born identical twin brothers, Jason and Adam Dupree aka The Working Boys Club return with their multi-sensory sound installation, Serving Sounds. Its main aim is to spark conversation about male mental health, and Serving Sounds made a huge impact with audiences at Glastonbury this year. A bar sits up to four people, but this bar serves bass instead of beer. Through the length of a song, everyone is invited to touch ordinary items like pint glasses, beermats, a straw or credit card, which create grooves and sounds. A fun and unique experience, guaranteed to put a smile on your face, and to get people talking.
Lower Gardens, various times from 11am
The Guy in the Luggage Rack
She Said Jump’s debut show is an aerial comedy about memory, and relationships. The Guy in the Luggage Rack draws on theatre clown, circus and puppetry as it tackles themes of grief and bereavement with a light and playful touch, combining physical comedy with striking aerial acrobatics. The piece is set around a purpose-built aerial ‘luggage rack’ that moves and transforms to carry the performers through a story that is based on first-hand interviews and personal experiences. Curated and performed by She Said Jump’s artistic director, Maisie Whitehead, you’ll meet her character Daisy, a bereaved daughter who’s fine except for the slight issue of an invisible guy who won’t leave her alone…
Lower Gardens, various times from 1pm
Get your skates on at King Ramps
The Pop-Up Skate Park and half pipe in Town Square, hosted by the world class King Ramps skate events company, is where you can marvel at the gravity-defying tricks and stunts by pro skateboarders and BMXers, or get involved in participatory workshops, no matter your age or ability. Hosted by professional skaters, riders and coaches, sessions include under 16s to hone their BMX and skateboarding abilities, through to Old Skool skate sessions for over 40s where Poole-based WAVES surf and skateboarding store crew will be on hand to support. Expect BMX Jams with Moose Skateshop, Happy Skateboarder and Entity BMX Shop.
Town Square, 11am – 9pm
Eau de Memoire a fragrant blast from the past
Olivier Award-winning live artist Miss High Leg Kick and her performers come together to put on fun and quirky performances that explore the memories evoked by your sense of smell. These entertaining and inclusive ‘perfumances’ have accompanying smell-along fragrances to conjure up various experiences and times. A seaside funfair in 1978, with the aroma of popcorn, candy floss and a fresh salty breeze, or the school disco in 1988 where you can almost taste the strawberry lip gloss and the boys are drenched in Drakkar Noir and teenage sweat. A nostalgic journey for the heart - and the nose!
Pier Approach, various times from 1.45pm
Light Hearted spotlight on love
This immersive light sculpture may inspire feelings of love. Its large LED heart lights up when two people hold hands up to create an irresistibly pleasing moment. Light Hearted highlights the simple notion of co-operation and connection, bringing people together to create that magic moment, it's had several proposals take place beneath its romantic shape! This striking piece was created by Gavin Morris, founder of The Digital Funfair. His company creates installations and entertainment pieces that mash up popular culture, technology and the thrill of the fairground to create unconventional entertainment. You might just find your perfect Instagrammable moment here too!
Find locations and timings at artsbythesea.co.uk
Dancing through history with The Black Victorians
This engaging and curious dance performance highlights and celebrates the diverse black presences in 19th and early 20th Century Britain. Watch as The Black Victorians bring to life the complex, but often forgotten generation of black men, women and children in pre-Windrush Britain, previously hidden over time and now brought to your attention in challenging, contemporary times. Artistic director and choreographer, Jeanefer Jean-Charles MBE, was inspired by Black Chronicles – The Missing Chapter, an ongoing curatorial research programme led by Autograph, which focuses on unearthing 19th century photographs of black presences in Britain’s archives. There will be a Black Chronicles’ Exhibition In A Box, to view alongside the performance.
Pier Approach, various times from midday
Arts by the Sea runs over the weekend of September 30 – October 1, artsbythesea.co.uk
