Sheds and Beds at the Overture weekend marked the re-opening of the Royal Festival Hall, London in June 2007. Five artists transformed garden sheds into interactive installations. From hermit’s retreat to workshop, invention laboratory, to storage space, sheds are places to escape to, to do something or do nothing, where time slows and the imagination blossoms. Each shed had a flower bed where we grew strawberries in the lead up to the event for harvest and jam making during a large tea party in the square.
Sheds included a theatre – showing a love story, a tragedy and a thriller played out in the public space of festival square whilst the audience remained hidden listening on headphones. A Bee shed with bee keeping demonstrations a live sound link to a bee hive, a mini, automatic puppet show featuring Ken Livingston, an interactive Adam and Eve for photographing your head on their bodies and a virtual coconut shy.
Commissioned by Southbank Centre, Artists: Glen Neath, Lizzie Clachan, Alice Power, Alice Purcell, Sarah Angliss, Gavin Morris and the Digital Funfair and Martin Brockman. Overall design, Cathy Wren, chef Ken Hawksworth and music by Dan Fox and the family. Gardening by Putting Down Roots.
