Lost and Found Festival Debuts in Manchester
Lost & Found is a brand new festival of pop-up performance and impromptu art happening across Manchester and at Contact. Featuring dance on trams, art in the Arndale and al fresco opera Lost and Found will be held in a number of non-arts venues and public spaces across Manchester before culminating in a day of innovative work at Contact on Sat 11th June.
One of the highlights of Lost and Found will be Reykjavik, a promenade performance exploring love, memory and the architecture of the mind. Requiring audience members to wear boiler suits Reykjavik was a hit at last year’s Edinburgh Festival, being nominated for a Total Theatre Award for Innovation and garnering superb reviews. There will be a post-show talk after the Thu 9 June, 9pm performance with neuroscientist Dr Hugo Spiers.
Lost & Found has been produced by Re:Con, Contact’s Young Programming and Producing Team. Established last year Re:Con offers young people the opportunity to directly shape Contact’s programme, develop their professional practice and produce their own festival. Re:Con this year are: Phil Brankin, Alex Browning, Jennifer Gaskell and Rachel Moorhouse.
The Programme features the following events:
Mon 6th to Fri 10th June –
Lose Yourself In The City
Metrolink Moving Theatre
Mon 6th to Fri 10th 11am to 4pm
Lost & Found takes over a Metrolink tram for a week of dance, music, Hip Hop and commuter arts-and craft.
Elemental Opera
Wed 8th to Fri 10th 12pm to 2pm
Manchester’s very own opera collective take to the streets to perform scenes from Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte.
If You Speak I Will Listen
Thu 9th 12pm to 5pm
Poet Fergus Evans presents an intimate performance centred around the act of listening at the Nexus Art Café. Booking required.
Mixed Movement
Thu 9th 12pm to 1pm
Fri 10th 4pm to 5pm
Contact’s dance company transforms the fountains in Piccadilly Gardens with a unique performance.
Akemi Arts In The Arndale
Fri19th 1pm to 4pm
Akemi Arts transforms HMV Arndale’s basement into a cavern of music, spoken word and live art.
A Night Of Found Arts
Fri 10th 7pm to 10.30pm
An evening of outdoor music, film and theatre at Bridgewater Hall’s Piazza including Elemental Opera’s abridged Cosi Fan Tutte and bicycle-powered cinema courtesy of PoWWow Pedal Power.
Indemnity – Part I: A Week in Walter’s Life
Tracing the complicated life of salesman Walter Daniel, artist Marcus Lilley presents a seven-day performance told through Twitter, text messages, emails, video and photography. Go to www.contactmcr.com to get involved.
Find Yourself At Contact
Reykjavik
Tue 7th to Sat 11th £10/6
Shams present a stunning promenade performance exploring love, memory and the architecture of the mind.
Sat 11th June
After a week of events throughout Manchester, Lost & Found takes over Contact or a day of innovative work and daring discovery.
The Stars Were Bright And I Was In Canada
Artist Laura Purling presents a part-performance, part-installation exploring the relationship between memory and smell.
Anonymous
Façade Theatre explore personal and global struggles in a rolling performance where audience members will be asked to leave something of themselves behind.
A Room To Say Goodbye In
Poet Fergus Evans presents an intimate interactive installation about letting go and saying goodbye. Booking required.
Kiss My Heart
Join Sarah Evans in her small pink tent for an individual, interactive performance about love.
Harbingers
Strangers have been seen in Manchester with a message about the end of the world! Have you seen them? Join Larkin’ About in this interactive apocalyptic game.
Indemnity – Part II: The Finale
Following a week of online performance, artist Marcus Lilley offers a glimpse into Walter Daniel’s real world.
The Lost & Found Sessions
Music throughout the day from local artist.
Lost & Found Festival 2011 is supported by Metrolink, Ideas Tap, PoWWow Pedal Power, O2 Think Big, Nexus Art Café and HMV. Events are happening throughout the city, please see individual entries for times and locations. All events, with the exception of Reykjavik, are free.
