Helen Cole from In Between Time has programmed the environmental themed festival IBT Wildness. Via evocative public and live artworks, forest diving, workshops and community gatherings, IBT goes outdoors to explore and ignite the wildness that exists in us all.
Over one weekend IBT WILDNESS’s international artists, alongside the people of Bristol, invite audiences, visitors and participants into the forest, both literally and metaphorically.
IBT WILDNESS has been developed in collaboration with Festival of Nature, Trinity Arts and Perform Europe. For booking and information please go to https://inbetweentime.co.uk/
You’ve been programming In Between Time for 21 years, what inspired you to create IBT WILDNESS now?
In a time where the climate emergency is centre stage, we wanted to create space to look inwards – to find the solutions that we know are already there and to allow for a little wild creativity. IBT WILDNESS is a programme of events that encourage a connection with nature. From forest diving in Leigh Woods to creating a forest with local people in the city centre, we wanted to create a programme that gave everyone a chance to bring a little wilderness into their lives.
Of course, in the face of a very difficult two years for everyone, we wanted to create a programme of events that can be accessed by as many people as possible. All our IBT WILDNESS events are outdoors!
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What can theatre lovers look forward to at IBT WILDNESS?
If you are a theatre lover then you will adore the liveness of the moments created at IBT WILDNESS. Works unfold right there in front of you and stories are woven outdoors. The artists behind the programme; Sylvia Rimat, Instant Dissidence and Clarice Lima are incredible examples of the scope of live art to inspire and enchant us, at the same time as playfully challenge our expectations. Across one weekend audiences can experience dance, costume, sound and movement alongside woodland walks and large scale public performances in the centre of Bristol’s main shopping district. It promises to be something really special.
And if they want to try something other than performance, what do you have an offer?
Brazilian artist Clarice Lima’s WOODS is a visual artwork that evolves and changes all the time like a constantly shifting picture.
Sylvia Rimat’s Some People Climb Up is an audio walk that takes you deep into the forest, guided by the voice of the artist
WOODS sees international artists perform alongside a company of incredible local performers to create a forest of people, their bodies like glades of uprooted trees.
Some People Climb Up, from Bristol resident Sylvia Rimat, is a geo-located app through Leigh Woods, a sprawling nature reserve just a 15-minute drive from the city centre. You will be guided around this unique location by the voice of the artist and encouraged to slow down, breathe deep and experience the woodland with all your senses. This piece is truly special; touch the bark, smell the leaves, crouch on your knees on the forest floor and feel part of the forest earth all around you. Especially for IBT WILDNESS, Sylvia Rimat will be personally guiding audiences through the forest.
How do you go about programming a festival like IBT Wildness?
Good question! This year we wanted to create something different. We were unable to produce a live festival last year and it felt important to create a remarkable weekend of live events for our city once again. We wanted to bring people together, welcome incredible international artists, think about new ways to work sustainably, and create unusual experiences with local people that connect us to nature. We wanted to bring art to locations in our city that won’t ever have seen live art before.
What do you find most challenging about the process?
Each of the events of IBT WILDNESS has been created in response to the sites they are performed in. Instant Dissidence’s Slow Mo, is an outdoor performance that begins in Nelson St, famed as the longest street art in the UK, and travels down Broadmead before ending on Merchant St. The route of this performance perfectly matches the long journey the group has taken through Europe by train to get to us. Their dances are all inspired by stories of the people they have met along the way. We will see their stories performed for the first time on 18 June.
WOODS and Some People Climb Up are site-specific too, though obviously very different locations! For In Between Time, the most challenging ideas and production techniques are always the most interesting.
Of course as an organisation we are driven to address the realities of climate emergency. We are trialling new ways to work, prioritising sustainable touring and production across this weekend programme. Wherever possible the artists have travelled by train, production materials are recycled and they use very little power during the presentation of their shows. What power they do use will be self-generated. We have never worked like this before and we are learning new techniques all the time.
Finally, what would you say to someone to encourage them to come along to IBT Wildness?
IBT WILDNESS is full of hope. It is a weekend of incredible live art that brings us together and offers the chance to bring more wildness into your life. A chance to dive into forests, dance in the streets and experience the city like never before.
