Warrior Poets at Wise Words festival Canterbury

As part of the fantastic Wise Words festival in Canterbury, a group of creatives (including the brilliant illustrator Greg Stobbs) brought together the writings of children in care and refugees from different parts of the world to create an immersive installation. The work is housed in the studio at the Marlowe theatre, upon entry you are handed an LED torch which is a very intriguing sign for what is ahead of you. As you walk in through the dark corridor you are welcomed by one of Greg’s illustrations of one of the warrior poet children. This then leads you into the main area of the installation comprised of different enclosed areas made up of semi-see through cloth and bamboo lengths suspended from the rigging above. From there projections of different poetry play out over the twenty minutes the show lasts for. This was a powerful experience as there were a range of speakers dispersed around the space, providing sound corresponding to the desperate situations that the poetry describes with so much arresting detail. Half way through the experience, above you, lights up with tiny little houses all lit with fairy lights at varying heights giving a really magical feeling, small homes and houses all seeming to be floating off into the distance and darkness above. I loved the use of the really expansive space to create an almost welcoming area that depicted a collective depiction of all of the horrific conditions endured by children around the world. The small houses were a highlight for me as they really hammered home the delicate nature of the lives affected by conflict and varying other conditions around the world. I feel if I get the opportunity to visit the installation again I will not hesitate as it left me with a really powerful sense that these things are happening right now. All while I’m having a wander around a beautiful building looking at something artistic. Severe dose of perspective there.

(P.S. I apologise for the quality of the images, I wasn't really concentrating on taking photos while in the installation)