Basildon Park ‘happening’

Hundreds join the Wayfaring trail

Wayfaring came to Basildon Park - an outdoor event combining installation with live performance and music.

Artists and performers And Now: worked with the environment, creating structures of wood and other materials available from the landscape. And on Saturday evening the public joined the trail of pathways for a rousing celebration – “no camera phones, just live in the moment” – of live music and performance.

Marcus Lilley was one of them: “On a sun drenched midsummer’s evening, along with more than 700 other people, we arrived at Basildon House ready and eager to see the final installation and performance of Wayfaring.

"The evening was a mixture of installation, live performance, theatre and music.

"Played out as a walk through the splendid and opulent surroundings of Basildon Park, while exploring the natural environment, the message of this experience was to encourage us to live “here and now” in contrast to the materialism of modern everyday life.

"As we proceeded through the grounds, absorbing the natural wonders of the landscape and engaging with the peaceful tranquillity, the joys of the natural world came more and more to the fore.

“This place. This Chalkland. With the trees. With the parched ground. The ground. Clouds. Squirrels. In this land. The carrot flyer. Never again. Here now. We Wayfaring” was proclaimed during the final section of the evening, a rallying cry that brought the audience together in a celebration of nature and our surroundings.

"As the evening drew to a close, the sounds of a brass band carried across the fields of Basildon Park as we walked towards the final installation, where everyone was invited to dance together.

"A feelgood moment expressing the collective joy at being able to experience a visceral celebration of the landscape and all its wonders.”