Manual at Fierce Festival 2024: Review

Manual is a captivating one-to-one performance that invites participants on a personal journey through the Birmingham library, transforming a public space into a realm of sensory exploration and heightened awareness. 

Manual at Fierce Festival 2024: Review

Co-created by Christopher Willes and Adam Kinner, with dramaturgy by Hanna Sybille Müller, this immersive experience unfolds seamlessly during library hours, allowing participants to blend into the everyday rhythms of the space.

Upon arrival, participants receive instructions to meet a guide, marking the start of a unique journey through a series of intentional, small actions. The performer accompanies one individual at a time up and around the space, allowing them to engage with a series of images and installations. From the outset, the experience is quiet and reflective, encouraging individuals to pause, observe, think, breathe, listen, and contemplate their surroundings. This intentional pacing fosters a sense of mindfulness that is refreshing and necessary in our often chaotic lives.

Guided through the library, participants follow written prompts while listening to an engaging audio experience via headphones. This thoughtfully crafted journey invites you to explore passages from books and poems read aloud to one another and absorb the subtle sounds and images that intertwine within the library’s atmosphere. Through this gentle exploration, Manual becomes a manual for slowing down, emphasizing the importance of presence and connection.

A particularly enjoyable moment from the piece was being invited by the performer to take turns saying what we see within the one image, which is chosen differently for each participant. This created a powerful dialogue as my interpretation merged and contrasted with the performer's insights. It was fascinating to delve deeper into the image, as we explored its layers of meaning together, transforming a solitary exploration into a shared moment of discovery and reflection. This interaction emphasized the subjective nature of observation and understanding, highlighting how each encounter with an image can elicit unique thoughts and emotions whilst creating enjoyable ASMR moments.

The library’s distinctive architecture enhances the overall experience, with its familiar yet dynamic setting serving as a backdrop for personal exploration. The carefully curated sounds and visuals breathe life into the performance, transforming the library into a living participant. The intention behind Manual is unmistakable: it seeks to engage the audience in a profound manner, inviting them to reflect on their surroundings while forging a connection with another individual.

Manual is a thought-provoking journey that masterfully combines art, space, and personal reflection. It invites participants to slow down and engage deeply with their surroundings, ultimately offering a serene exploration of the relationship between the self, art, and the world around us. Manual is a testament to the power of thoughtful engagement, leaving participants with a sense of calm and a renewed appreciation for the art of observation.

Header Image Credit: Image by olga volkovitskaia from Pixabay

Author

Elisha Pearce

Elisha Pearce Voice Contributor

Elisha is a graduate of MA Theatre at the University of Lincoln. She currently lives in Staffordshire where she reviews productions at venues across the West Midlands. She is also a budding playwright and is currently developing a new play 'Elsie' which explores Alzheimers through a surrealist lens. Elisha has recently joined the Voice Contributor team and is super excited to write blogs, features and interviews on all things arts and culture!

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