Victorian Return

Our urban garden evening art activities were a huge contrast to the world of the Holloway Road, which for a change, instead of dominating and drowning out, was being drawn inside.

It is amazing what lighting and costume can do to suggest and evoke. Petronella Carter, a performing artist who grew up near Highbury Fields, dressed in a Victorian mourning costume, with cape, gloves, veil, and even the correct lace-up boots so that she walked correctly.

As Petronella and Alev moved around, Mark was acting as both lighting director and mobile sound source, as he was carry one of the walkie-talkies. Per also moved around the space with another. It was really unusual to have both mobile and fixed sound sources, and then to move around the large space.

Ulf started to play piano in the church, and this became one of the sounds in the live mix. Per played the organ. The voices of the different languages spoke intimately, and the eight bells rang out all over. I have never experienced sound quite like it.

As the two figures moved around the outside of the church in the darkness, it really was as if the Victorian dead had come to join us, to bless us with their presence.

We had somehow got to that magic place where suspension of disbelief had spontaneously started to happen.

This graceful promenading had a Pre-Raphaelite feel, the spirit of the coming age when this place came into being almost 200 years ago.

Above us, still moving and glowing with vivid colour, Amanda's window projections shone like a spiritual beacon in the filled darkness.