Innovation and Entertainment
I trained as an architect in the 60's at a time when the whole liberation arts in London focussed on the idea of bringing various forms of media and culture together. Architects were looking at everything from video art to the moon landings as sources and ideas for their architecture. I became involved in experiments in what is now known as light weight structures, looking at how they are a legitimate building form, how the tradition of the circus tent can be extended into more demanding forms of architecture.
I was involved with the entertainment business as a maker of things; I found this a way of getting money for experimentation. This soon became a round about way of becoming involved in popular culture as I worked with the Stones and Pink Floyd. I came to the entertainment world as an architect, as a manipulator of space and a creator of things that occupy space and time. There are similarities between the language of architecture (that deals with the manipulation of space and time) and the language of entertainment (that deals with time by reconstruction of space). From my experience, what one is trained for has little bearing on what one might become. This colours the way in which one should fight for an education that is not goal orientated, an education that produces a better society rather than merely educates the young. It is about training people so they have discipline and creativity to live socially desirable lives.
I was asked if I could create a show in the Dome. Prior to this question a decision has been made to abandon the idea of building a huge theatre for an audience of 10,000 people within the Dome. It was decided that this idea would consume far too many resources. I was asked if I thought it possible to take the Dome as an empty space and create a show within it. This question had a long agenda attached to it. The Dome was and is perceived as a colossal expenditure of public money. Any show has to pass all kinds of political tests. I said yes to the question and then woke up with an interesting problem to solve; I had committed myself to creating a show in daylight.
The Dome is entirely dedicated to entertainment and is constantly flooded by daylight. The show has to fulfil a political brief to be modern and forward looking, representative of New Britain, it has to be inclusive and controversial but safe, guaranteed to work yet very cheap. The show needs to be deserving of critical acclaim by the broad sheets without being dismissed as highbrow by the tabloids. My approach to this was to roll with the problem, to use the energy of the problem to deflect it into something that is successful. Creating a show in the Dome means rolling with the fact that it is the largest undercover space in the world; the arena is the size of Trafalgar Square.
So I had to create a show which occupied the space, which worked in the daylight and took place in the round - it could have been anything. This anything could have included an IMAX theatre, a technical show, a high technology virtual media show, an LED screen, all lay open right down to street theatre. For various reasons we went through all these things and in the end we made the decision that the Dome needed a show with people. We decided that we should use a maximum number of performers; the performers should all be young symbolizing the future. To my mind, coming from an architectural background, this was a design decision. The show needed to be a spectacle of scale , to have an impact in a short time. The show also needed a narrative, an aspirational story that can appeal to everyone and be inclusive.
The show I set about creating was a cross between a rock concert, a modern dance performance, a piece of street theatre, a display of aerial and acrobatic skill. The aerial and acrobatic skills are used as a vehicle that is a language by which other elements are expanded by the language of circus to fill the volume of the space. The show will last about 30 minutes and will be shown 4-5 times a day. It will be seen by 10-15 thousand people at any one time. Between the shows, the space is open to the public, almost as if it is a public square. At the start of the show, performers will come in and assemble the props and scenery - the worlds they create are symbols which support the narrative. The show is uncompromisingly high tech and modern. We are employing over 400 people; on the one hand providing opportunities for the entertainment business and more importantly introducing 12 million people to circus skills.
In the end we will either succeed or fail……
Mark Fisher