In The Eyes Of The Animal by Marshmallow Laser Feast will be presented by Migrations in partnership with RSPB and City of Cardiff Council in Cardiff from the 15th July 2016.
I co-founded Migrations in 2004 when I moved to North Wales after running a venue in Geneva. It all started with my passion to share with audiences work by high-profile international artists who profoundly moved me. These artists were touring extensively but were never seen in that part of the world, or even the rest of the UK at the time.
What began as a series of small-scale contemporary dance shows evolved to increasingly work in the public space, embracing various art forms and producing projects in all sizes and shapes.
Why Migrations? Because, in the field of contemporary creation, it has become increasingly common for boundaries to blur, merge and sometimes disappear altogether. Artists are not just crossing geographical boarders to be here, but physical, artistic and conceptual ones too.
To create unique experiences rooted in Wales, we collaborate with challenging and inventive artists, local communities and groups, national and international partners.
Our projects range from large-scale site specific commissions to dance film productions featuring one hundred amateur participants. They include empty shops, rural landscapes and urban architecture as their stage.
We were approached by RSPB after they saw our 2014 production Calling Tree by Simon Whitehead and Rosemary lee; a site specific performance in an ancient oak tree in Betws y Coed. RSPB were keen to utilise our expertise in producing extraordinary art work to raise awareness of their Give Nature A Home in Cardiff project.
A year later we presented Tape, by Numen/For Use; an amazing large-scale site specific interactive installation made entirely out of sticky tape. Like a giant spider’s web hanging in the trees, this very organic work attracted tens of thousands of new visitors to Bute Park in Cardiff.
This unexpected partnership between an arts and non-arts organisation had proved incredibly successful and enriching to both organisations. Something we wanted to continue.
As the curator, I wanted to find another meaningful production that was relevant to both our organisations while still surprising our audiences. When I experienced In The Eyes of the Animal by Marshmallow Laser Feast and knew I had found the gem I was looking for.
In The Eyes of the Animal is a virtual reality art work which allows people to perceive the world as woodland creatures do. Originally produced by Abandon Normal Devices (AND), it’s a beautiful artistic interpretation firmly rooted in science. The artists scanned real woodland and worked with scientists to create this stunning and rather magical immersive experience.
One might think that it is contradictory to bring new technology and environment concerns together. I have reservations about new technologies which I believe can contribute to isolate and alienate people from each other, society and the world more generally.
However, MLF have succeeded in creating something which enables us to engage with world in a new and wonderful way. We are taken on a sensory journey which allows us to step inside the lives of animals; creeping on the woodland floor, flying through the woodland canopy. This thrilling entertainment gives us a better understanding of how other animals process optical information and allows us a chance to reflect on our own visual perceptions of the wood.
We chose Bute Park again because it offered beautiful settings, conducive to this immersive experience, while enabling us to reach many people.
When I select work, it is important for me not to make any artistic compromises; the productions are always contemporary, challenging yet very generous and accessible, attracting both art lovers and people who aren’t used to engage with contemporary work alike.
Both Migrations and RSPB are passionate about reaching out to new people. Just as TAPE attracted people who thought the outdoors or the arts were not for them, we believe In the Eyes of the Animal will be an extraordinary opportunity for people to experience amazing art while reconnecting with nature.
Karine Décorne, Artistic Director
In the Eyes of the Animal, 15th July – 4th August 2016, Bute Park, Cardiff, 8am – 7pm.
Free
For further information please visit: www.migrations.uk