Paso was a barefoot spatial sound experience that remembered the chalk land bridge that once connected Britain to France until its destruction due to a catastrophic flood due to climate change 450,000 years ago. It was a crucial migration route that brought the first land creatures, including the first early humans, into Britain. The collapse of the landbridge was Brexit 1.0 and created Britain as the island we know it today.
Participants were invited to take off their shoes, put of a pair of headphones that know your location in the space and walk barefoot over a large rectangular expanse of soil. As you cross the landscape, you encounter areas with different sounds and underfoot temperature transporting you through the history of the land bridge and the animals that inhabited it.
The space was dimly lit by ground level light constantly fluctuating in intensity and colour and there were sections of the ground that were heated from beneath.
We designed Paso as a sensual, non-human-centred storytelling experience, in which people could slow down, attend to their senses of listening and touch, and imagine the possibility that the most solid landmarks that furnish our reality will disappear.
The exhibition is intended to be a friendly space, designed for blind, visually-impaired and sighted visitors alike, and adaptable to access needs.

Collaboration with William Fairbrother

Lighting Desing: Seth Rook Williams

Photos and film: Carlos Jimenez

VR and unity support: Antoine Hacheme

Modular synths: Jon Hawkens

Technical support: Ed Kashinsky

Expanded choreography advisor: Lola Maury

Disability consultant: Maria Oshodi

Lighting designer: Seth Rook Williams

Audience experience consultant: Dr Cecilia Wee

Geologist and landbridge expert: Professor Sanjeev Gupta

Photos and film: Carlos Jimenez

Paso was produced by Lighthouse, supported by Arts Council England and Re-Imagine Europe. Lighthouse is part of Re-Imagine Europe, which is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. Re-Imagine Europe is initiated by Sonic Acts (NL) and coordinated by Paradiso (NL) in collaboration with Elevate Festival (AT), Lighthouse (UK), Ina GRM (FR), Landmark / Bergen Kunsthall (NO), A4 (SK), Disruption Network Lab (DE), Ràdio Web MACBA (ES), Urban Paradoxes (NL) and Kontejner (HR). The exhibition has been realised with the support of Arts Council England and Fabrica.

Collaboration with William Fairbrother.

Video and Images from an early 2019 R&D.

   Photo Credit: Carlos Jimenez