Fall From Light

Burns And A’That Festival

28th Apr - 5th May 2002

Fall From Light was the first major project from NVA after the acclaimed The Path (2000). This dark and extraordinary sound and light installation was not for people of a delicate disposition or with an over-sensitivity to the literal interpretation of Burns.

Fall From Light was a bold new commission and centre-piece for the newly inaugurated Burns Festival in South Ayrshire. It celebrated a wholly contemporary and unexpected approach to the Bard’s legacy through a monumental 10 acre sound and light installation.

Using the same locations that inspired ‘Tam O’Shanter’, Burn’ epic poem which includes the greatest and most chilling description of a witches Sabbath ever written. Fall from Light explored the darker side of life, manifesting and exploring the malign forces that have drawn people to the brink of violent instability over the past 3 centuries.

After dusk, the audience was taken on a disturbing journey through the brooding and atmospheric landscape of the famous Auld Alloway Kirk, Brig O’Doon and surrounding woods. There the audience glimpsed changed worlds where medieval superstitions collided with the thin veneer of Victorian civility and where ancient woods revealed stark images of death and hidden suffering. Moving ground, live and skeletal birds, trails of fire and a 360 degree surround soundtrack offered a chilling reminder of what humanity is capable of doing.

The performances were all sell outs, and as well as attracting established fans of NVA’s work, Fall from Light also introduced a new community to the company’s unique approach to art and performance.

Press highlights

“**** - Fall from light….demonstrate(s) the genius with both ideas and atmosphere that identifies it unmistakably as an NVA project” - Metro, 30 April 2002

“**** - A night of Sheer Enlightenment… [Fall from Light] is a fascinating reaction to Burn’s great poem.” - Joyce McMillan for The Scotsman, 1 May 2002

“A fantastic other-worldly experience” - Sunday Herald, 28 April 2002

“It’s one Burns celebration where a bottle of whisky may come in handy to steady the nerves” - Rachel Devine for The Sunday Times, 28 April 2002

Critics Choice: Pick of the Week - Andrew Burnet for The Sunday Herald, 28 April 2002