26th October 2007
The Event as it unfolded in image and text
Project Neptune Lead Artist Nathan Hughes directs operations as the fire drawing takes shape in the valley below.
photo - Tom Betts
Dark Spark and their team prepare one of the biggest fire drawings ever undertaken in the UK, measuring 50 by 150 metres and using nearly 1 Km of fire-rope.
photo - Tom Betts
Mr Butcher (Head of Extra Curricular Activities Provision) talks the Monks Park group through Dark Sparks' fire drawing.
photo - Tom Betts
Dark Sparks' sketch for the fire-drawing shown next to original plans of the lost East Gardens (below).
Original plans of the lost East Gardens.
Dark Spark worked from an ariel view of the site overlaid with the original plans.
Rows of pyrotechnics prepared according to placement of original garden
features.
photo - Tom Betts
17th Century finger buffet is prepared by food historian Lucy Bailey,
based on recipes from Pepys At Table (more
info).
photo - Tom Betts
As the audience assemble in farm buildings on Old Lodge Hill, Tom Worley
performs examples of Baroque Harpsichord Music that would have been heard
at Dyrham Park in Sir William Blathwayt's day. The late October chill
goes unnoticed as they tuck into delicious 17th Century food and drink
prepared by Matthew Olden and Lucy Bailey.
photo - Dan Buzzo
From arriving there was a real sense of occasion, stewards that knew
how to tell you where to go without being overwhelming, and a sense of
welcome on turning the corner into the barns. Convivial (and historically
contemporary!) food and drink, all served with joy and generosity, made
us warm and toasty.
Karen Smith
As darkness falls - muffled visions' projections onto the Old Lodge
farm buildings are revealed (taken from illustartions in the book Pepys
At Table).
photo - Mark Ulf Pedersen
An audience of 350-400 advance towards the vantage point through a path
of 100 tulip shaped lanterns made by young people from Pucklechurch School.
The lanterns compliment muffled visions' lighting installations.
photo - Mark Ulf Pedersen
Looking towards Neptune's Hill through the tulip lantern trail made by
Pucklchurch School towards Neptune's Hill, where the team from Monks Park
School will shortly perform their choreographed recreation of Dyrham Park's
famous cascade.
photo - Dan Buzzo
The view from Old Lodge Hill as dusk falls - the city of Bath on the horizon.
photo - Dan Buzzo
The evening was delightful. The 17th centaury food and baroque music
set the scene wonderfully. We enjoyed the walk through the lighted tulips with
the children, some of whom delighted in finding the ones they had made. Then
to the vantage point on top of the hill where we experienced the magical reconstruction
of the formal gardens in light with explosions of colour. We are so lucky for
our children to be able to enjoy our local history in this spectacular way, I'm
sure they will remember this for a long time.
Lyn Ford - Pucklechurch School.
Click here for more information about Pucklechurch School's contribution to Project Neptune.
As the audience assemble on Old Lodge Hill, the Monks Park team strike
a pose before the show.
photo - Suzanne Burley
The young women had worked on their costumes until 2am the previous evening
and added final touches (liquid from broken glowsticks), just before
showtime.
photo - Dan Buzzo
The audience assembles on Old Lodge hill (lit by muffled visions) to view
the performance in the valley below.
photo - Mark Ulf Pedersen
The Monks Park School group open the show as a procession of naiads indicting
the path taken by water as it flowed to Neptune's Statue.
photo - Dan Buzzo
The Monks Park team recreate the cascade of more than 220 steps which flowed down Neptune's Hill.
The Monks Park team devised their routine under the direction of dance teacher Lea Hurd, designed their own costumes, and sourced props through Lead Artist Nathan Hughes.
The Monks Park team recreate the cascade of more than 220 steps which flowed down Neptune's Hill.
The show was amazing. The students were visibly buzzing to have been
a part of something so awesome on that night. It was their efforts, their
ownership in part and all their hard work that made it what it was. More
importantly they had taken part in the process, the creative act of developing
ideas for a performance that responded to this notion of Heritage and
how relevant it is to them and what it means to them now. That initial
seed grew to be bigger than they could ever have imagined.
Giles Butcher - (Head of Extra Curricular Activities Provision)
Click here for more information on Monks Parks contribution to Project Neptune.
As the Monks Park team finish their performance; subtle, yet spectacular
pyrotechnic work on the opposite hill reveals the scale of the site to
an awe-struck audience. Improvised Baroque keyboard music from Tom Worley
augments the unfolding spectacle.
photo - Tom Betts
The audience watch transfixed as the fire-drawing take shape in the
valley below.
photo - Mark Ulf Pedersen
Features of a garden not seen in over 200 years emerge from the darkness
of history.
photo - Tom Betts
The outline of Dyrham Parks' lost East garden is drawn out of the past
by fire.
photo - Dan Delor
The view became the best fire drawing I’ve ever seen, followed by the
best fireworks. Exquisitely designed, the fireworks blew any bland corporate
firework display out of view. I haven’t seen a firework display for
a long time that comes close to the level of skill and sense of movement,
colour, light, shape, place and joy displayed. As for the fire drawing
- Gorgeous.
Karen Smith
The Monks Park group (small blue lights extreme bottom left) watch the
outline of the lost East gardens revealed through the medium of fire.
photo - Dan Buzzo
10 pyro-gardeners delivered a controlled ignition, enabling an even
burn rate and maximum duration.
photo - Dan Buzzo
This is the same row of pyrotechnics previously seen laid out on the
lawn before the house.
photo - Tom Betts
Dark Sparks' whirling dervishes show where features once stood and fountains
flowed.
photo - Tom Betts
The recreation of the canal which flowed from the base of Neptune's
Hill across garden to the house was a real crowd pleaser.
photo - Dan Delor
Detail of canal rig and back line from Dark Spark's sketch.
Revealing process from plan to execution.
photo - Tom Betts
The grand finale - not strictly related to original garden features,
but a treat for spectators to view fireworks from an elevated vantage
point on a cold October night.
photo's - Leon Woods and Dan Delor
A spirit of generosity pervaded from start to finish. It was clear
this was a massive project needing massive project management, and it
did this successfully whilst keeping an eye on the small and intimate
and making people feel comfortable and included rather than just as a
‘cold’ audience. Brilliant!
Karen Smith
The whole event was superbly coreographed and the three 12 year old
boys who came with me were totally dumbfounded by the exuberant, joyful
feast of colour and life which unfolded in the dark valley below. An
amazing and totally immersive event played out on a vast stage which
totally transported all of us on the hillside simultaneously back to
the hey day of the garden and into the future of our wildest dreams.
Thank you.
Dick Penny - Creative Director, Watershed
Media Centre, Bristol
Happy audience members are guided from the site by a long trail of fire-pots.
photo's - Tom Betts & Dan Buzzo
Really wanted to say how much I enjoyed the event at Dyrham Park. It
was great to see the recreation of the garden through dance, lights,
fire and fireworks not forgetting the tulip sculptures. The children
at Pucklechurch feel really proud to have been involved. Many thanks.
Kim Budden - Year 5 Teacher, Pucklechurch School
1 week later - land art - a perfect trace of the lost garden remains.
photo - Nathan Hughes
Visitors intrigued and entertained by the strange markings - what did
they mean?
photo - Nathan Hughes