The full line-up for Aberdeen’s newest festival, Wonderland, has been unveiled with events ranging from breathtaking aerial dancers soaring over Broad Street to a “theme park” full of the sounds of the Granite City.
Along the way, there will be art installations inspired by the city’s infamous witch trials and a nod to Houdini’s death-defying manacled dive into Aberdeen Harbour.
In total, there will be 22 new performances, installations, displays and workshops at venues across the city centre over the weekend-long one-off festival, running from September 8 to 11, and all of them will be free.
Wonderland will bring the city centre to life with a magical, exciting and vibrant programme, said Ben Torrie, Aberdeen Performing Arts’ director of programming and creative projects.
Wonderland will make all of Aberdeen’s city centre a stage
“We are delighted to be working with so many established and emerging artists to explore our much-loved city in new ways and give visitors an unforgettable experience and a fun day out. We are looking forward to making all the city a stage this September,” he said.
One of the most spectacular events of the weekend will be thrilling aerial dance performances with performers suspended from a crane and specially-built platform on Broad Street.
The performance – Sense Of Wonder – is inspired by the cityscape’s mix of old and new and is a collaboration between All Or Nothing Aerial Dance Theatre and Aberdeen’s own Citymoves Fusion Youth Dance Company.
Meanwhile, the Bon Accord Centre will host Right Up Your Street, a dance work held at the Enchanted Era Emporium. Visitors can choose a song from the enchanted jukebox – with popular tunes from the past 100 years – then see what happens.
Thomas Small, the award-winning choreographer and artistic director of Shaper/Caper, said it would be a joyful celebration of dance from the 1920s to the present day.
“We want to celebrate Aberdeen’s rich dance history and legacy – the dance halls, such as Palais de Danse and the Beach Ballroom – and Aberdeen’s bright dance future through the work of dance academies and agencies like Citymoves,” he said.
Harry Houdini’s Aberdeen Harbour dive has inspired a work of art
Meanwhile, the city centre Kirk of St Nicholas will host witchtrialversion, a series of experimental sound performances by Sweætshop which will explore the city’s witch burnings through a unique historical lens.
St Nicholas has also inspired another film and sound installation to be performed during Wonderland. The kirkyard is the final resting place of trailblazing magician John Henry Anderson – the Wizard Of The North. His work inspired Harry Houdini, the escapologist who plunged into Aberdeen Harbour, handcuffed and chained.
The Sensational Silver City, by creative visual artist Graeme Roger, uses that as a starting point with footage of local people filmed underwater, against the ethereal voices of an Aberdeen chorus.
Meanwhile, sounds of the city – from gulls to church bells and ships’ horns – feature in Aberdeen Sound Park, created by north-east composer Pete Stollery, which will be at several city centre locations during Wonderland.
Loud and clear message that Aberdeen city centre is buzzing
During the weekend, the city will also be home to installations, such as banners on the St Nicholas Kirkyard Collonade on Union Street, sculptures in the Bon Accord Rooftop Garden and a sacred well and tree on St Nicholas Street.
There will also be an Urban Grow Dome, where visitors can listen to new songs by Rebecca Dunn, surrounded by plants grown in community groups across Aberdeen, as well as many other installations and works inspired by plants and nature.
Wonderland will also have as its hub the pop-up venue, the Wonder Hoose which will be constructed in Marischal Square Quad and remain in place through September with a varied programme of music, comedy, cabaret, theatre and family shows.
Wonderland is being delivered by Aberdeen Performing Arts on behalf of Culture Aberdeen, which has been awarded funding from the UK Government Community Renewal Fund and Aberdeen City Council,
For more information and details about Wonderland visit aberdeenperformingarts.com
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