With the unique and spectacular About Us event coming to the city this week, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Alderman Graham Warke, said it is one not to be missed.
About Us will take place in Guildhall Square and Waterloo Place from tomorrow, Tuesday 15th, until Monday 21st March.
Created by 59 Productions, The Poetry Society and Stemettes, About Us is the opening event of the UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK programme and will involve sensational projection shows detailing almost 14 billion years of history as well as beautiful live music.
During the day, pop-up multimedia installations will be open from 10am to 5pm which will showcase the work and celebrate the creativity of local young people, with poems and animations that have been put together in workshops that took place across the district.
Each evening from 7.30pm, the Guildhall Square and Waterloo Place will come alive with projection-mapped animation, poetry, music, and beautiful live choral singing to create a unique spectacle – with performances from Codetta, in association with the City of Derry International Choir Festival.
The city will also welcome Our Place in Space as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK – an epic scale model of the solar system designed by artist and children’s author Oliver Jeffers, incorporating a 10km three-dimensional sculpture trail in NI and Cambridge, an interactive AR app, and major learning and events programmes.
The Our Place in Space sculpture trail will open to the public at Bay Road Park and the River Foyle from 22 April to 22 May and is free and accessible to everyone.
Furthermore, as part of the programme, there will be a Green Space Dark Skies event in the Sperrin Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on Saturday 25th June.
Gathering at a designated location at dusk, Lumenators will be guided along pathways or waterways carrying smart lights that will enable digital choreography captured on film, while also being sensitive to the night-time environment.
To protect these amazing places, the exact locations will only be revealed to the Lumenators who have registered to take part.
There will be no spectators, but anyone can take part for free as long as they sign up in advance.
Mayor Graham Warke said there was lots of look forward to with the About Us, Our Place in Space and Green Space Dark Skies events.
“I can’t wait for the About Us event to get underway this week, which will complement our Spring Carnival programme really well.
“This is a hugely significant event and one we are delighted to have come to our district.
“About Us and the wider UBOXED programme puts our local people at its heart, including our children.
“Through the live shows and music, we will celebrate their creativity and hear some beautiful music from our own Codetta as well.
“I have seen the preparations underway in Guildhall Square and in Waterloo Place over the last few days and it already looks absolutely amazing and certainly something not to be missed.
“I would like to congratulate 59 Productions, The Poetry Society, Stemettes and everyone involved in About Us for putting together what promises to be an impressive and unique event.
“It’s great that we will also have the exciting Our Place in Space trail and be part of the Green Space Dark later this year and I would encourage anyone interested in being part of the latter to get signed up.”
UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK is funded and supported by the four governments of the UK and is commissioned and delivered in partnership with Belfast City Council, Creative Wales and EventScotland.
About Us is on a five-stop UK tour from March to May 2022. All About Us events are outdoor, free and unticketed, and suitable for audiences of all ages.
Find out more: aboutus.earth
If you would like to take part in Green Space Dark Skies register at: https://greenspacedarkskies.uk/get-involved/
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