Renaissance was a large-scale event produced by Greenwich+Docklands International Festival and performed on 16 July 2005.
Sited at Three Mills in London’s East End, celebrated the regeneration and spirit of achievement following the news of London’s 2012 Olympic bid success.
We were asked to create a celebratory event, which would have at its heart a re-worked and developed Machine Dance (originally created for Road to the Beach: The Edge in 2004). In contrast to the early evening bright beach light of its previous incarnation, Machine Dance was now performed at night under huge banks of light on a wild grassy patch of land in a major urban centre.
Taking the theme of the security of our home and positive building and development as a starting point, Kevin created an epic performance. It started with the simple imagery of children carrying tiny glowing paper houses, through large screens and shadow play, acrobatics and stilt walking, to a startling section with dancers, diggers, a crane and an aerialist working in harmony. The finale saw giant flaming windows being raised to tower and shimmer across the crowd, drawing a crowd of 3,000 people.
16 July 2005, Three Mills, London, UK
