ABOUT BABEL
JOIN US AND ENTER THE WORLD OF BABEL
In a year when the world’s eyes are on London, a forgotten tower steeped in history calls to be rediscovered. The people are gathering and a timeless story continues.
BABEL is an immersive theatrical experience of truly epic proportions created especially for Caledonian Park. This spectacular outdoor production, with a cast of 300, combines storytelling, live music, massed choirs and state-of-the-art visual effects to celebrate what it means to be part of a truly global community, and the world city that is London.
BABEL is brought to life through a unique creative partnership between WildWorks, renowned for its large scale spectacular productions, and the multi-award winning Battersea Arts Centre, one of London’s most inventive theatres, along with the Lyric Hammersmith, Theatre Royal Stratford East and the Young Vic.
The roots of BABEL go far back, beyond memory, to one of our first stories – ‘in the beginning the people was one’. These people felt compelled to gather, to create something extraordinary together, and so they built a city and the Tower. Over time both were abandoned, the people fled to the far corners of the earth and the first tribes were formed.
In 2012 the people are gathering again. The lost Tower has been rediscovered and its voice heard for the first time in living memory.
The Tower is calling out to people from all over London, from across the country and around the world. The people feel compelled to come here, to this last lost iconic site and the Tower that stands in its midst. Once again, the people is one. Our languages, our backgrounds, our cultures are different, but together we have been drawn to this place. Today is the day.
BABEL is a fable about the things that matter. The things that bind us together and keep us apart. It’s about the incredible things we can do together, the power of memory and our common humanity.
From 8th May BABEL is reborn as a story for 2012 in one of the last lost iconic sites in London, Caledonian Park in Islington. In a forgotten place, rich in histories, the people are gathering.
from: http://www.babellondon.com/about/
On 8th May I went to BABEL which is a site-specific performance in a park. It's close to my project! I was so excited when I was there. I felt like I went to a different world when I entered the park. There was a zigzag path to the main stage. I saw some performers by the path. They were residents who lived there.
When I arrived the main place. I moved around the place, I went to see a live band, dancing performance and I even went to massage. I was a guest in this tribe!
And then the show started with the light and sound. So everybody stopped to see the show. I found out that sound and light was very important in this kind of performance. There were about five stages in the park. Performers moved between stage and stage. But with spot light and sound, audience could easily know where they should look. However, for me there was a little problem that was I'm too short, if the stage was not high enough, I couldn't see.
The show was not long. I thought it's because there were not seat for audience. It would be really tired to stand for long time without seat.
This is my first time to see the outdoor performance. At first I was afraid that I could not see the performers clearly. But the main stage was in the middle so everyone can see it.
It nice to see the show. It let me knew what should I consider, such as the stage hight, the hi-fi equipment, distance between stage and stage and so on.
