Striaght away I'll say that this is a really good show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and if you get the chance, do go and see it. But:
this is how it is described in the Fringe programme: 'A lo-fi sci-fi docudrama, investigators in a post oil world, powering lights with bikes, trace entwined lives of a community once built on cars.'
Sounds pretty environmental, ideal for a Crafty Green review? However when I got to the show, I saw that this is how it's described in the programme: Home of the Wriggler was provoked by the passion unleashed in Birmingham when BMW announced it was looking to dispose of MG Rover. It was to have been a documentary about a working factory but events caught up with us: Longbridge closed within a month of our first research visit.
Someone in the seats behind me voiced my own incredulity 'its about a car factory?'. The only environmental input is the fact that all the lighting is powered by generators attached to exercise bikes (which is incredibly cool by the way!).
So go, enjoy, be prepared to be moved by personal histories of people made redundant, be intrigued by the intertwining, often incomplete narratives, enjoy the innovative dialogue and staging, but if you're expecting anything environmental, just keep your eyes on the bicycles and the eerily flickering lights....
Home of the Wriggler by Stan's Cafe, Underbelly, Cowgate, daily 12.00 until 30 August.
Edinburgh is such a great cultural center. Wish I could come and watch this.
ReplyDeleteSure wish I could just pop over the big "pond" and visit y'all.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds great, and I love the name. Edinburgh must be such a treat as a hometown in August!
ReplyDeletehi juliet, i'm a cyclist so i was drawn to that element of your post. i remember years ago visiting the nearby science centre where they'd rigged up bikes to power a television. the idea was to show kids the connection between energy generation and the rectangular babysitter. it was really effective because most of them couldn't manage more than a handful of minutes to keep the screen alive!!! i've heard so much good and amazing stuff about the edinborough festival. you're so fortunate!!! steven
ReplyDeleteI used to write a lot of low-tech post-oil fiction, so I think I would've been disappointed. The show sounds potentially interesting in its own right, though.
ReplyDelete*grinning* at how the show is described -- a "lo-fi sci-fi docudrama!" It does sound fascinating.
ReplyDeleteAaah the Edinburgh festival ... one day I hope to get there to see for myself! :)
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