When you try to envision the entire history of the world, it’s a bit unimaginable. The idea of almost 14 billion years of history can be difficult to wrap your head around. But a special lightshow performance will soon hit London with a dazzling run-through of the universe’s entire history, from the very start of existence, to the modern day. About Us, from UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, will light up the walls of the Tower of London with a spectacular live show that is sure to thrill all in attendance. And, the best part? It’s absolutely free. You don’t even need one of those nonsense free tickets. You can just turn up and enjoy.
The Tower of London will transform into a canvas from November 16-19, with the About Us lightshow projecting the history of the world onto its walls. The show highlights viewer’s connections to the cosmos and the natural world, as well as those around them. The 25-minute show will run every half hour, each evening, between the hours of 5:30 and 9:30. The live performance blends lightshow projection with live choirs from across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, poetry from poets and schoolchildren, and a multimedia installation. Words in the projection come from leading UK poets: Llŷr Gwyn Lewis, Jen Hadfield, Jason Allen-Paisant, Khairani Barokka, Stephen Sexton, and Grug Muse. Throughout, the choirs perform an original score from widely-awarded and acclaimed composer and musician Nitin Sawhney CBE.
About Us outside of London
Previous About Us lightshows have already taken over the facades of abbeys, castles, and guildhalls across Paisley, Derry-Londonderry, Caernarfon, Luton, and Hull. History meeting history, with billions of years of time projected onto some of the locations’ most important historical sites. To make the London dates even more exciting, these past locations will come together as choir members from all of the previous performances will perform together for the first time in London.
Said Lysander Ashton, Director of 59 Productions and Project Director for About Us:
“About Us has been created through a collaborative process that brought together poets, scientists, musicians, visual artists and schoolchildren from across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to create a dazzlingly rich composite view of the extraordinary universe we all share. It’s an invitation to experience the world where you are made of stars, you’re built from a trillion intricate cells working in harmony and make a connection to the billions of people and other living creatures that followed the Big Bang. After visiting locations around the UK, I am delighted that we are able to bring About Us to the Tower of London.”
There’s no need to grab tickets, as the event is completely free for anyone to enjoy. No doubt some clueless wanderers will be in for a treat as they stumble on to the incredible performance! Find out more at the About Us website. Read more about UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK’s work with schools and communities through their website.