A HUGE lights show being held in Caernarfon is showcasing 13.8 billion years of history through the infinite ways in which humans are connected to the cosmos, nature and one another.
About Us/Amdanom Ni combines multimedia installations and live performance to immerse audiences in the history of the universe, from the Big Bang to the present day.
Caernarfon Castle and Y Maes have been transformed into a vast canvas bringing together a live projection-mapped animation with poetry, music, and live Welsh choirs performing a brand-new score by Nitin Sawhney CBE.
Having commenced yesterday (March 30), the show will run until April 5, and features performances from Côr Dre, Côr Kana and Côr Eifionydd.
Welsh poets Grug Muse and Llŷr Gwyn Lewis have written new poems for the About Us live shows, presented in both Welsh and English.
By day, LED video installations showcase the creativity of children and young people from primary schools in Gwynedd through poems and Scratch animations.
The event is the first of five major multi-site and digital creative projects commissioned as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, to be presented in Wales from Caernarfon to Gower, from Merthyr Tydfil to Blaenau Ffestiniog, and across traditional and online media until October.
About Us has been created by the award-winning 59 Productions, who helped create the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony; Stemettes, an award-winning social enterprise working to inspire and support young women and non-binary people into science, technology, engineering and maths careers; and The Poetry Society, one of the UK’s most dynamic arts organisations.
Lysander Ashton, Director of 59 Productions and Creative Director for About Us, said: “About Us has been a unique collaborative process bringing together poets, scientists, musicians, visual artists and school children from across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Jamie Dawes-Hughes, Secretary of Côr Dre, said: “One of the best aspects of the project for us as Côr Dre has been the opportunity to rehearse and sing with two other local choirs - Côr Eifionydd and Côr Kana - creating music and making new connections.
“After a long period of being unable to rehearse or perform, we as a choir are finally able to sing together and perform in our town, and we can't wait to do so.”
Martin Green CBE, Chief Creative Officer of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, said:
“We hope that About Us in Caernarfon, and the whole programme in Wales will bring joy and leave similarly special memories.”
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales, David TC Davies, said:
“Wales has a rich heritage of creativity, and a thriving modern creative industry, which we are extremely proud of. I hope people in Wales will enjoy these free shows and delight in experiences that many of us missed so much during the pandemic.”
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