Animals and children took to the street

I recently went to see at the Battersea Art Centre a play called The Animal and children took to the street performed by a theatre company called Cabaret 1927. I found the play really inspiring as it represents a good example of how projections can be used to create an interaction between the characters and the surrounding space. The story narrates of the life in the Bayou, an area in a city where people are poor and miserable and live in buildings infested by cockroaches and mice. When the children attempt to rebel and take to the streets, the ministers of “Quick fix” resolve the problem by giving them sweets with a sedative substance which make them all quiet and obedients.

The set of the play was made up of three blank sheets, on which animations were projected, and by a few props that were occasionally introduced in the scene. The characters interacted with the projected image creating a very dynamic performance and the space acted as an integral part of the story . The idea of using animations rather than physical objects made the play a very unique piece, engaging people into critical observations, still providing an enjoyable visual experience. That inspired me to introduce in my work projections as unconventional elements to create a new spatial experience that could be entertaining as well as educating and engaging.