The brand workshops, the brainstorms, the concepts, the designs, the phone calls and emails, the planning, the programming and the print had all led to this moment as we stepped off the train ready for the launch of the Milton Keynes International Festival; IF.
It was exciting to see our brand decorating the train station, creating a real buzz about the festival and we couldn’t help but smile as we were approached by a festival volunteer offering us one of the programmes which we had designed as a guide to the festival, which was taking over the City for the next ten days.
Leaving the station we were amazed by the huge installation which met us. Mirazozo by Architects of Air is a beautiful inflatable sculpture which invites its audience to take a walk inside the numerous domes and tunnels, and experience a sensory world of sound, light and colour. Inspired by Islamic architecture, Gothic cathedrals and modern architecture, Mirazozo is the latest sculpture by Architects of Air and is making its UK premiere at the IF Festival. An amazing vision as you leave the station, and an immediate sign that there is something extraordinary happening in Milton Keynes.
The festival started with speeches from Monica Ferguson, Festival Director, Sally Abbott from the Arts Council and Debbie Brock; The Mayor of Milton Keynes who were all clearly delighted and proud to have the festival taking place in their City and seeing the months and months of preparation coming to fruition. Once the speeches were over it was time for the cultural tour to begin.
Our first stop on the festival tour was another UK premiere, this time of The Magical Menagerie produced by Artichoke and created by the extraordinary artist Francois Delaroziere and his company La Machine. Famous for his previous work; The Sultan’s Elephant in 2006 and the giant spider La Princesse which took over Liverpool in 2008, we weren’t disappointed by his latest creation. The Magical Menagerie is a huge, square carousel filled with magical, mechanical creatures that can be operated by the riders.
As we approached the carousel we were in wonder at the different animals and soon a group of arts professionals were reliving their childhood as we all scrambled to choose our creatures and get set for the experience to begin. We chose a huge mechanical bison and took our seats ready to operate the head and tail and the carousel started to move. Everywhere we looked we were in wonder at the different creatures, the amazing details and the mechanics involved in getting each sculptured creature to move in a different way. A truly unique installation, which was definitely a highlight of our visit to the IF Festival.
The next stop on our cultural journey was an empty supermarket store in the heart of Milton Keynes; it doesn’t sound very cultural, but once inside we were all set to experience the work of the artist in residence Janek Schaefer. Another UK premiere, Asleep at the Wheel is a thought-provoking and immersive sound installation from multiple car radios that contemplates our future.
We were met by the artist himself, and Janek shared with us his brief for the project, his vision and how the installation took shape. Clearly very enthusiastic about his art and the festival we were invited to walk to the back of the disused store which had been transformed into a motorway, with three lanes of cars waiting for their passengers.
Through the darkness lit up by hazard lights we chose our first car and took our positions as back seat passengers. With the front windscreen cleverly transformed into a rain swept scene and the constant clicking of the hazard lights, we listened to the media sound-bites through the car stereo providing us with information on a sustainable life and ways to improve societies future. We immediate felt transformed into this motorway landscape on a rainy night, and each car with its individual smell (not sure if this was part of the installation or just coincidence!) had a different message to tell its audience.
The final cultural experience on our tour was to take place in the Spiegeltent, an amazing mirrored tent which was to create a beautiful backdrop to the performance of The Table by Karbido. Having knowledge of the artists through our work on the festival, we waited in anticipation for the four men to take their place at the unusual table which the audience had circled.
Soon four men dressed in black appeared from behind us and took their seats around the table, and a mind-blowing musical journey around the world began. It was quickly apparent that this was no ordinary table, with ultra-sensitive microphones and various instruments within it; one leg becoming a flute and guitar fretboards along the edges. We were blown away by the musical performance which took place just arms length away from us using such an everyday object in a unique way. Clearly talented musicians, they will be a huge hit at this years IF festival.
And sadly that was the end of our festival tour, but we left the Spiegeltent making our way back to our hotel in constant chatter about the installations and performances we had enjoyed. It was definitely a thought provoking experience, great to see our brand and marketing in situ, fantastic to see the festival come to life, and a shame we couldn’t stay for the ten extraordinary days that Milton Keynes is about to witness!