South West Spotlight: Dorset
September is a busy time for Dorset. The county famous for its Jurassic Coast has a whole host of creative events bringing something for all the family to enjoy, thanks to regular investment through Arts Council England’s National Portfolio programme and from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Across the county artists and cultural organisations are breathing life into our belief that creative and cultural experiences can bring people together, support local economies and help to improve lives. Much of the activity draws influence from the unique natural landscape of the area so expect to fall for the magic of the mighty coastline.
One thousand ideas, one amazing island
b-side festival returned last week, showcasing the very best in contemporary art made in response to the beautiful and intriguing Isle of Portland. Artists in this year’s festival drew inspiration from the Island’s landscape, community, and history, as well as from our relationship to places elsewhere.
Running over four days from 9 to 12 September, this year’s festival – made possible thanks to the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund – saw attendees immerse themselves in an audio intervention on Portland’s No 1 bus; discover a temporary grove of ghostly, stone coated trees within The Old Engine Shed; view spectacular visuals projected onto Rufus Castle; and enjoy an outdoor screening that explored the dark heart of the witching hour on Portland. The team at b-side took over our Instagram during the festival weekend, you can see their takeover in the stories highlights on our Instagram page and take a look at more of the festival highlights here.
The Unnatural Beauty Parlour by Sadie Hennessy. b-sdie festival. Photo credit Paul Box.
Extraordinary events in extraordinary places
Inside Out Dorset is an international outdoor arts festival that takes place across the county every two years. After postponing the 2020 festival due to the global pandemic, National Portfolio Organisation, Activate, are pleased to be commissioning and presenting a range of UK and European artists this September to transform some of Dorset’s most remarkable urban and rural spots.
The festival, which runs from 17 to 26 September, celebrates Dorset and aims to promote the natural landscape and sense of place. One of this year’s highlights is artist Luke Jerram’s Gaia. Measuring seven metres in diameter, the piece features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface. This huge artwork provides the opportunity to see our planet like never before, floating in three-dimensions. Attendees can enjoy contemplating this spectacular artwork in the tranquil woodland of Symondsbury Estate.
At the heart of what Activate do is a belief that performing arts should be accessible for all – no matter what their experience or background. Therefore, all of Inside Out Dorset is free to attend.
Gaia by Luke Jerram at Bluedot. Photo credit Luke Jerram.
Premiere of new circus show
Touring to six venues nationally, the second stop for the brand-new live show from Extraordinary Bodies, Human, is Dorset. Extraordinary Bodies is the collaboration between Diverse City and Cirque Bijou. On 17 and 18 September, Human heads to Lighthouse, Poole. Made possible thanks to the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund, the show is based on real life stories from the company and told through circus, music and film. Human aims to remind us that as humans, we have the extraordinary ability to move forward together by taking the time to really understand each other.
There will be a digital version of Human available from November and one of the performers will appear digitally onstage from his home during the live show. Diverse City believe that if we are going to return to live performance inclusively, we will need to find different ways of participating and performing.
Human Quartet. Human by Extraordinary Bodies, the collaboration between Diverse City and Cirque Bijou. Photo credit Paul Blakemore. Title work Holly O’Neil.
World class display of moving armour
Between 17 and 20 September, regularly funded organisation The Tank Museum will present TANKFEST 2021, supported also by the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund. The four-day event includes the best display of historic moving armour in the world; guest vehicles; living history encampments and demonstrations; trade stands; and plenty of time to explore The Tank Museum, complete with a new World War Two exhibition for 2021. This year’s festival includes a mini-arena and a lecture stage where you can learn more about these historic vehicles and their future.
TANKFEST 2017. Photo credit The Tank Museum.
