Prism: A brand new festival of music and light
Prism – a new and ambitious winter festival, powered by Waterside Arts, will light up Sale town centre in Trafford from Thursday 23 November to Saturday 25 November.
Fusing music, projection, light and performance this three-day festival across the town centre will create magical and thought-provoking experiences for all ages, launching this year’s festive season from its cultural heart and leading arts hub, Waterside.
At the centre of the fun and running until the end of the year will be a Winter Light Trail. Featuring an array of originally designed light installations positioned throughout the town, the trail will run daily from dusk til dawn brightening up the dark winter nights.
This is a community-led project, curated by Things That Go On Things, in partnership with Leeway Creative Production and Trafford-based public artist Venessa Scott. Children and young people from the borough are invited ahead of the festival to work with Venessa and participate in drop-in creative workshops at Sale Library where they will work together to create their own installations for the Light Trail. (see notes for dates)
Outdoor art and light also come together over the Prism Festival weekend in Sentinel – a multi-sensory performance of electronic music from composer Richard Evans, based on his critically-acclaimed album of the same name. Running each evening during the festival, Sentinel uses light and projections across the Sale Waterside building, together with pulsating electro-pop, lush synths and contemporary vibes.
They will sync with lighting effects, generative art and motion typography in a compelling free, outdoor show to create an immersive, large-scale visual work and a call-to-action in response to the planet’s most urgent issue – climate change. Synthpop hooks are interspersed with spoof news breaks in a blend of sound, light and video that finds hope in a world changing beyond our control.
Concluding the performance element of Prism is Surge 360 – an indoor immersive dance piece where artist Tom Dale brings to life a duet between dancer and an animated light in a gripping kinesthetic relationship creating a bridge between the digital and organic worlds.
This 25 minute show – featuring live vocals from performer Jemima Brown and digital design by Vent Media – runs three times on Saturday 25 November and is performed in the round, enabling audiences to be fully immersed into the digital landscape and get up close to the dancer.
Festival Curator and Waterside Manger Darren Adams says:
“I am so thrilled to be able to launch the inaugural Prism festival this Winter. The festival has always been a bold ambition, so huge thanks to our funders and supporters and to the great team of people working hard to create this immersive new festival. We have curated a series of high-impact events that use digital arts and ground-breaking technology in innovative, creative ways. We hope that people will come along and enjoy the entertainment and be inspired.”
Prism Festival runs from Thu 23 – Sat 25 November.
View the festival brochure and full programme here:
Prism Festival is part-funded by the city-region’s allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which is being managed and distributed by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).
The Sentinel performance is produced by Cold Star Media, with kind support from Arts Council England, Creative UK and Waterside Arts.
PRISM LISTINGS
PRISM: LIGHT TRAIL
Thursday 23 November – 31 December 2023
FREE / Throughout Sale Town Centre
A community-led project, curated by Things That Go On Things in partnership with Leeway Creative Production working with Trafford-based public artist Venessa Scott and the communities of Trafford.
The project will see a series of light installations through Sale Town Centre, designed by children and young people from the borough. The installations will run throughout the festival and continue until January 2024.
Be part of this project:
Venessa Scott will be running drop-in workshops at Sale Library (Monday 30 October – 15:30 – 17:00) and Wednesday 01 November – 15:30 – 17:00 (Limelight).
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Cold Star Media present
SENTINEL
Thursday 23 November – Saturday 25 November / Thu 18:30. Fri & Sat 18:00 & 20:30
FREE / Waterside Plaza / circa 20 minutes
Sentinel is a multi-sensory performance of electronic music from composer Richard Evans, based on his critically acclaimed album of the same name.
Pulsating electro-pop, lush synths and contemporary vibes sync with lighting effects, generative art and motion typography in a compelling show that delivers a call-to-action in response to the planet’s most urgent issue – climate change. Synthpop hooks are interspersed with spoof news breaks in a blend of sound, light and video that finds hope in a world changing beyond our control.
The performance is produced by Cold Star Media, with kind support from Arts Council England, Creative UK and Waterside Arts.
This outdoor show will run each evening during the festival using light and projections across the Sale Waterside building, to create an immersive, large-scale visual work.
–
Tom Dale Company presents
SURGE 360
Saturday 25 November 2023 / 17:00, 18:30 & 20:00
£5 / £3 (14 – 25 year olds)
Unreserved 360 show (standing and limited seating available) at Waterside / 25 minutes
SURGE 360 gives life to a future human on the bridge between the digital and organic worlds.
Four stellar artists collaborate to create a brand new staged concept album in an immersive, audio-visual, genre-breaking performance, touring exclusive new music from British music producer ITAL TEK.
Tom Dale brings to life a duet between dancer and animated light in a gripping kinesthetic relationship. A character pushed to their limits to ‘feel’ – to ‘sense’ – to ‘exist’.
SURGE 360 is performed in the round, enabling the audience to be fully immersed in the digital landscape and get thrillingly close to the dancer.
Featuring live vocals from the performer Jemima Brown and digital design by Vent Media.
THU 23 NOV 2023
18:15 – 18:25 Light Trail switch-on Waterside/School Road
18:30 – 18:50 Sentinel Waterside Plaza
Light Trail from dusk till dawn daily
FRI 24 NOV 2023
18:00 – 18:20 Sentinel Waterside Plaza
20:30 – 20:50 Sentinel Waterside Plaza
Light Trail from dusk till dawn daily
SAT 25 NOV 2023
17:00 – 17:25 Surge 360 Robert Bolt Theatre
18:00 – 18:20 Sentinel Waterside Plaza
18:30 – 18:55 Surge 360 Robert Bolt Theatre
20:00 – 20:25 Surge 360 Robert Bolt Theatre
20:30 – 20:50 Sentinel Waterside Plaza
Light Trail from dusk till dawn daily
Venessa Scott will be running drop-in workshops at Sale Library (Monday 30 October – 15:30 – 17:00) and Wednesday 01 November – 15:30 – 17:00 (Limelight).
This festival project is part-funded by the city-region’s allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which is being managed and distributed by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).
