In the last two years, an extraordinary mix of artists, dancers, scientists
and musicians have joined forces with Russia's space programme to create
work in a zero gravity world where there is no up or down: a modernist
laboratory for making art for the cosmos.
From afro-futurism to oriental fantasies of flying carpets, datasuits to
dance movement analysis, the Arts Catalyst, the science-art agency, rounded
up the best projects for floating in air and transported them to the Yuri
Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, Russia, in collaboration
with Projekt Atol, Slovenia, to turn dreams of flying into reality.
Now London audiences have a chance to sample the art of weightlessness as
practised in space conditions - not computer simulations, but in a large jet
aircraft converted into an artists' studio - diving at 25,000 feet.
With cosmonaut hero Sergei Krikalev - one of the longest term inhabitants of
MIR - he was the 'last Soviet citizen' stranded aloft during the coup
against Gorbachev - and now building the International Space Station, a
performance by Kitsou Dubois, the first ever zero-G dancer, and an
Anglo-Russian mix of performance, video and lectures, this season gives
London audiences a taste of the art of tomorrow.
Artists and Cosmonauts has been enabled with the generous support of London
Arts Board and Visiting Arts. The Arts Catalyst's space programme is
supported by London Arts Board, the Arts Council of England, the Calouste
Gulbenkian Foundation, SciArt Awards, Imperial College Visual Arts
Programme, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine.
Friday 1 March, Saturday 2 March, Friday 19 April 2002
Lilian Baylis Theatre, Sadlers Wells, Rosebery Avenue, London EC1
Nearest tube: Angel
Friday 15th March only: Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, London W1
Nearest tubes: Regents Park, Oxford Circus
All events begin at 8PM.
March 1 BODIES IN SPACE
Ansuman Biswas and Jem Finder, Anna Alchuk, Masha Chuikova, Anthony Bull,
Kevin Fong, Morag Wightman and Craos Mor
March 2 ARTISTS & COSMONAUTS
Alexei Blinov, Andrew Kotting, Marko Peljhan, philosopher Mikhail Ryklin,
Andrey and Julia Velikanov, the Zero Genies, music by Hallucinator
March 15 SERGEI KRIKALEV at Institute of Physics
Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev in conversation with artists (at Institute of
Physics),
April 19 A DANCER IN WEIGHTLESSNESS
Kitsou Dubois, Nick Davey and colleagues, Biodynamics Group, Imperial
College
ZERO GRAVITY WORKSHOP - 2 March, 11 am - 3 pm
Take part in zero gravity workshops to gain a better understanding of how
gravity forms and influences our bodies and the world and cosmos around us.
Experience moments of zero gravity, challenge your balance and
orientation, try the freedom of aerial suspension and explore the history of
gravity, with zero gravity dancer Morag Wightman and performance artist Tim
Millar.
Join the new futurists, book all three Lilian Baylis events for UK £ 15 (UK
£ 12 concessions) or UK £6 (UK £5 concessions) each night.
Krikalev talk UK £ 5 (UK £ 3 concessions)
Zero gravity workshops UK £ 8 (UK £ 6 concessions)
Box office (all events) tel: 020 7863 8000
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