Wildworks Botallack Meet Me At The Edge show

On Sunday, September 20, from dawn until dark, theatre company Wildworks will be running seven live showings of an immersive soundscape on the rugged cliffs of Botallack.

This unique and site-specific set of screenings, aptly titled Meet Me At The Edge has been written by founding artist Mercedes Kemp and directed by artistic director, Mydd Pharo.

The first episode of Meet Me At The Edge is partly a response to the Covid-19 pandemic and is an experimental physical journey into what ‘The Edge’ means to communities and individuals.

Focussing in on the stories and experiences of Mercedes Kemp, Meet Me At The Edge will "invite visitors to finally come and stand together at the edge of the world; the edge of solitude and loneliness, the edge of love, the edge of tolerance and endurance and the edge of meaning, all on the physical edge of the land and the sea".

Botallack is a culturally and historically significant site based in sensational, wild and dramatic landscape.

Attendees can enjoy the distant company of others as all join safely for the one-day event.

With the first performance starting at sunrise 6.30am, wearing headphones, showgoers will be placed along the cliff for an individual, but shared, experience.

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The last performance of the day commences at 6.30pm and this short journey into sound and landscape explores themes of connectivity and isolation.

Mercedes was born in Andalucía and has lived and worked in West Penwith, on the edge of the land, for 45 years.

She said: “What does it mean to be a writer out of place, out of language, out of culture?

"A stranger in the strange, not speaking one's mother tongue, silenced but observant, looking, listening, until language arrives again; until an attachment to the different shore, the unfamiliar sky grows stronger.

"At home in the strange, one becomes a stranger at one's home. The abiding image of the 21st century is one of displacement, migration, diaspora. These themes fascinate me.

“I look for the traces of the movements of people, departures and homecomings, fortuitous arrivals, the keeping of memory, the blessing of hospitality. The stories I construct out of these fragments are not true, but they might have been.”

Founded in 2005, Wildworks makes site-specific theatre, taking audiences on physical and emotional journeys; working with landscapes and people, telling stories of the world in which we all live.

The Wildworks method involves ‘bedding down’ in locations, getting to know the people who belong to it, teasing out the secrets, and stories, that go on to drive and shape each show and experience.

The first show will start at 6.30am and repeats every two hours through Sunday, September 20.

Numbers will be limited for each show, so booking is essential.

Wildworks is asking for ticket payment on a ‘pay what you can’ basis, but has suggested a contribution of £10 per ticket.

There are also 100 tickets reserved for local residents of the Tin Coast – those with a TR19 postcode – and sales of these will operate on the same ‘pay what you can’ basis.

Emma Hogg, Wildworks executive director, said: “We are really excited to launch Meet Me At The Edge.

"It is a unique set of performances in the most sensational setting of Botallack and will inspire all kinds of emotion.

"It was important for us to create new work that allows audiences to safely come together, explore new ways of making theatre in these challenging times and utilise our experience of working outdoors, responding to the world around us and creating opportunities for human connections.

“What is so special about this concept is that every individual person’s experience will be different and unique to them.

"This is partly because we all naturally perceive and understand things differently but also because the performances across varying times of the day will see the turning of the tide, alterations in light and changing weather conditions so it’s a truly ‘moving’ and elemental feat.

"We would recommend visitors bringing a small blanket, hunting stick or folding chair should they not wish to stand.”

The 10.30am, 2.30pm and 4.30pm events will offer sign language interpretation.

All screenings are suitable for families with children aged 11 plus.

Each piece will last approximately 60 minutes in duration and audience numbers will be limited to 50 maximum to ensure social distancing regulations are met.

Strict hygiene measures will also be in place.

Tickets can be booked through the Cornish Riviera Box Office at https://crbo.ticketsolve.com/shows/873615572