Setting Newbury Ablaze this weekend in the hottest event of the year
One of the outdoor programme's most spectacular events Ablaze, returns to light up the Kennet & Avon Canal with spectacular fire sculptures and live music this weekend.
Take a canalside promenade along the fiery waterside show in celebration of art, community and a decade of outdoor excellence with Corn Exchange Newbury and 101 Outdoor Arts.
Back in 2013, as dusk turned to dark, the town’s canalside became a magical trail of flickering braziers and ingenious installations. Ablaze enchanted us all. It was the first production created at 101, the Corn Exchange managed outdoor arts space at Greenham prior to its official launch.
Its mesmerising display of floating fire sculptures and live music culminated in the spectacular Fire Garden finale at Victoria Park.
This week 101 Outdoor Arts - national Centre for Arts in Public Space celebrates its 10th anniversary and Ablaze has been reprised for three days to mark the occasion.
The trail will be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, beginning at West Mills swing bridge and will take you on a journey to Victoria Park, lasting about 30-60 minutes.
The large-scale outdoor production in Newbury town centre is expected to attract up to 10,000 visitors. It is free of charge but you need to pre-book - go to www.cornexchangenew.com
Timed entry between 7.30pm – 9.40pm each night. Please reserve 1 ticket per person up to a maximum of 6 tickets. Children under 18 months do not need a ticket.
To ensure the safety of all guests, please only arrive at the time of your pre-booked tickets. There will be a short queue and stewards will be there to guide you.
10th anniversary of 101, by Arts Editor TRISH LEE:
Back in 2013, as dusk turned to dark, the town’s canalside became a magical trail of flickering braziers and ingenious installations. Ablaze - the first production created at 101, the Corn Exchange-managed outdoor arts space at Greenham prior to its official launch - enchanted us all with a mesmerising display of floating fire sculptures and live music, culminating in the spectacular Fire Garden finale at Victoria Park.
101 Outdoor Arts - National Centre for Arts in Public Space this month celebrates its 10th anniversary and the great news is Ablaze has been reprised for three days.
Up on Greenham business park, the unassuming ‘warehouse’ exterior of 101 conceals a ‘powerhouse’ - an important and unique international arts resource revolving around developing arts in public spaces. Over the last decade it has grown into a national hub for innovation and talent development.
Strategic lead at 101 Simon Chatterton says: “It's 10 years of 101 this year and it's unbelievable to look back at everything that has happened in that time. When 101 first started we actually kept it relatively quiet for the first year so we knew it would work.”
101 is a special facility that can support the creation of exciting outdoor arts performances of the kind that Corn Exchange has been presenting in Newbury for the last 15 years.
Simon speaks of his pride in its achievements: “We are proud that so many wonderful shows have also been created at 101.”
These shows go on to play to audiences of tens of thousands of people all over the country, often in parts of the country where there isn’t a culture or infrastructure for more conventional arts attending. As they often involve elements like large structures, aerial circus performance or other scenic elements these performances aren't often the kind of thing that can be rehearsed in conventional venues or rehearsal spaces.
This is where 101 comes in.
Thanks to backing from Greenham Trust and Arts Council England, the facility can offer high-ceilinged rehearsal spaces, a scenic fabrication workshop and on-site living accommodation for 15 artists at a time.
“We offer this for free and often have two or three companies in residence at a time. We also offer a programme of training and networking events to the wider outdoor arts sector and also host public sharings of work in development and community projects such as our Lantern Making workshops every December for the annual Festival of Light.”
101 is inspired by the French network of CNAR's - Centres for Street Arts in France. The French have always invested heavily in culture, seeing it as a cornerstone of their national identity. This combines with a belief in the idea of vibrant public spaces as being fundamental to the quality of life in their towns. Out of this has come a commitment to supporting artists to create free work for the public and a network of centres like 101 that can support this.
“It took us many many years in the UK to be able to start to create something similar,” Simon explains.
101 receives up to about 700 artists and other creatives each year, coming from all over the country and sometimes abroad. As well as the UK, this year the team is working with artists and producers from France, Catalonia, Flanders, Ireland and China and are waiting to hear about an exciting collaboration with a small festival in rural South Africa. There is nowhere else in the country quite like 101 and it's been a unique success story as the level of demand demonstrates.
Residencies are usually about one to two weeks long and living on site is critical - not only does it save huge costs in accommodation but it also saves a lot of time and means that the whole residency becomes and intensive creative group experience.
“Some of the best work is done over the dinner table!” says Simon. “The company can work round the clock if they choose and the mix of different artists staying at 101 at any one time means that the place has a real creative buzz.”
And of course Simon loves his job. “It's always a joy to work with the artistic companies. Each one is different and the rhythm of each residency can also be very different depending whether a group is exploring early stage ideas or dashing to get a project ready for an imminent performance.
“We love to be able to support companies to work outside the building as this gives the artists a real sense of how their show will work in a real world setting.”
Sometimes this is about needing additional space or height, such as working with flying trapeze, but sometimes it is about the opportunity to interact with natural or urban spaces or audiences.
“We raised a few smiles (and eyebrows) in July when we took a group into Newbury town centre to practice their improvised interactions with people …and pigeons!”
“I'm really proud of the artists when they create a good show. It's such a hard thing to do - particularly in the current economic climate, but this year there have been some really great pieces; RPM by Gorilla Circus, taking colonial history via street dance on a conveyor belt, No Fit State Circus' Bamboo Circus and Anemoia Circus audio described aerial wheelchair performance.
“It‘s a real thrill to see a final performance get a rapturous reception and I'm really proud of the part that 101 and the dedicated team here play in supporting that. They do an incredible job to make sure everyone feels welcome and supported.”
There have been so many performance highlights over the years and while Simon has loved being part of the big shows built at 101; 451, Furious Folly, the Berkshire Giant and Ablaze, he has also enjoyed welcoming the international artist such as last year's Mo and the Red Ribbon by Compagnie L'Homme Debout which took the story of a refugee child and told it on an epic scale through the streets of the town.
“It is also hard to forget the huge Domino run that the artists from Stationhouse created a couple of years ago!”
101 has had a lasting impact on the local community through its outdoor performances in Newbury town centre.
“I've been programming these events for Corn Exchange since 2009, when some people might remember the giant glowing Michelin men of Quidams, it's amazing to think that a whole generation of local people has grown up being able to enjoy these spectacular events for free.
“It has brought different generations and different communities in the town together, given them unforgettable experiences and made the town feel special and different. The shows obviously attract huge audiences, but we've also worked with projects on local estates which have inspired very powerful and positive reactions from people that would never have gone to a theatre performance.
The 101 team have worked with hundreds of participants to create the projects and Simon says he is continually touched by the way the shows are remembered and recounted by local people.
“One man, now in his 20s and running a local community centre told me that the proudest moment of his life was driving a Batmobile we had created with him and his friends for the Newbury Carnival 10 years ago - a project I'd completely forgotten about but which obviously had so much meaning for everyone involved!
“These kind of stories make this work so worthwhile.”
