Wish You Were Here
Insite in partnership with Greenwich + Docklands Festivals
Insite closed the summer season of 2007 with a spectacular installation of outdoor performance built in partnership with Greenwich+Docklands Festivals. 'Wish You Were Here' brought international art groups with awe-inspiring street art spectacles to the Thames Gateway area in a two-weeks free festivity in July 2007. The performances took place in Hadleigh, Southend and Basildon, highlighting Essex sites with the best of street shows from around Europe.
Hadleigh Farm was the scene for a monumental sculptural installation, 'Between Earth and Sky' by the international environmental arts group Red Earth. The temporary installation took the form of a fragile tower using materials found in local woodlands to create a twisting form of greenwood reflecting the transitory destiny of Hadleigh Castle, and was visible from the Shoeburyness to Fenchurch Street train line below.
The second part of the festival was held at one of the UK’s most iconic and legendary attractions – Southend Pier. Innovative street artists brought a smile to more than 2,500 people on the day. Attractions included a Spanish hairdressing side show; intrepid aerialists performing on an inflatable cone; and the brass sound of theatrical band Orkestra del Sol. The show finale gathered an audience of hundreds around a watery surprise at the end of the pier head with a very special dance show from Barcelona called 'Let’s Get Wet'.
The end of the festival was marked by 'Voyage of Dreams', an awesome international spectacle from the French company Malabar who transformed Basildon Town Centre. Nearly 3,000 people were enthralled by a cast of stilt walkers and aerialists together with special effects and pyrotechnics, which accompanied a giant processional sculptural ship that swept around the town centre. The amazing show terminated with a tidal wave of foam.
Parent Project:
InsiteDocuments
- Wish You Were Here evaluation report (PDF, 450.42Kb)
More information
Art forms
- Street arts
Themes
- Tourism
Interventions
- Festival
Venue
- Thames Gateway