As the World Tipped: Wired Aerial

First seen a couple of years ago, As the World Tipped is one of the most successful large-scale outdoor shows that the UK has produced in recent times. It been around the globe and made a welcome return as the opening night show for this year’s Greenwich and Docklands International Festival. I’ve seen it a few times now, both in the UK and abroad, so it’s pleasing to see that it’s still in very good shape. Wired Aerial Theatre‘s creation is a vertical take on the issue of climate change, a fusion of wall-based aerial work and intricate projections. We start at the Copenhagen Summit, played out on a flat stage; it’s not really a spoiler (the crane gives it away) to say that the floor’s gonna tip… and tip it does. Reminiscent of the horrible scenes from Titanic, tables, chairs, boxes, flags and people cascade off the edge to an unseen doom. Five of the delegates cling on for dear life and as the wall is hoisted high into the night sky, they are put through a series of disturbing eco-disaster scenarios; they’re blown through the air in a hurricane, caught in a drought, burned underfoot, washed away in floods and surreally forced to run over pages and pages of useless bureaucratic documentation. The images are stark, the message simple. The performers (and their counterbalancers at the side) look tiny and vulnerable, and the piece cleverly combines our fears for the people suspended so high in the air with our fears for the planet. We know it’s going to end badly. It’s disconcerting viewing, executed with discipline, precision and skill and is a credit to the sector. They’re on tour again this summer, be brave and cast your eyes to the sky…

Cycling provision… well, it’s Greenwich, full of racks.