Culture in Quarantine
Posted by:
Earlier in the year, when we were all getting to grips with lockdown, we opened up applications to Culture in Quarantine. We wanted to invest in ambitious ideas that feel as if they couldn’t have been made at any other time. It was a time of great uncertainty, but for many of the country’s artists, a time of great creativity.
Of the many strong applications received, 25 projects were selected from across England. These pieces are being exhibited through broadcast slots across BBC Radio 3 and BBC TV, through podcasts on BBC Sounds, and through the BBC Arts website, continuing with the Culture in Quarantine mission to bring the arts to UK homes despite arts venue closures, social distancing, and UK-wide lockdowns.
There’s a selection of the projects available to view below, with many more set to be broadcast over the coming weeks on the BBC’s iPlayer.
The Sofa Dance
Mimbre is an acrobatic theatre company fusing acrobatics, dance and humour to create visual poetry in unconventional spaces. The Sofa Dance saw 30 acrobats physicalize the shared exhaustion, frustration and complications of living within drastically limited space; creating absurdity and beauty while stuck on their sofas.
CAN’T KILL US ALL
A theatrical experience combining Hip hop theatre and film from dance experimentalist Botis Seva, CAN’T KILL US ALL unravels one man’s mental unrest as he navigates the turbulence of dealing with two global pandemics.
Swan Lake Bath Ballet
Set to Tchaikovsky’s famous swan theme, 27 elite ballet dancers from renowned dance companies perform a modern-day Swan Lake from their own home (filled) baths. Award-winning choreographer Corey Baker worked with dancers across the globe to choreograph and film Swan Lake Bath Ballet completely remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic.
How Hard is Waving?
How Hard Is Waving? is a series of video shorts from full mask company Vamos Theatre. Follow Ryan and his family over the first five days of comic and poignant online meet-ups during lockdown. We are introduced to Ryan’s Dad, Gran and her carer Katie.
The Big Book Weekend
The Big Book Weekend saw writers from across the cancelled literary festivals come together and take their conversations online. Catch up with Marian Keyes in conversation with Catherine Mayer, Robert Webb discussing his inspirations with acclaimed literary journalist Alex Clark and Sam Weller and Neil Gaimen getting together to discuss the work of Ray Bradbury.
Flying Home
Flying Home explores self-isolation in the current world pandemic. We meet six dancers isolated in video conference-style windows. We follow their journey as a choreographic dance exploring the limitations of their surroundings.
Airlock: A Graphic Novel
During the 1960s space race, a solo female Russian Cosmonaut finds herself orbiting the earth on her fire-damaged spacecraft with no chance of return. A clock ticks, the oxygen is running low, her situation is hopeless and she is resigned to her fate. She longs to make contact with someone on earth before her inevitable demise. Airlock: A Graphic Novel is a three part live action graphic novel
