Observations On Being

Sun 25 Jul 2021 to Sun 15 Aug 2021

London Road Cemetery
Meet at Charterhouse Drive, Coventry CV1 2JR Show on map

Access information

Duration: 90 minutes

From £10

Book tickets

*You will be transferred to an external ticketing website.

Seven immersive artworks challenge our ideas of life, death and nature.

Mapping the journey of breath from different scientific and cultural perspectives this multisensory narrative of epic proportions uncovers the living worlds both beyond and within us, to reveal the deep and beautiful truths that lie just outside the limits of our perception.

Inviting audiences to cross the threshold and follow an expansive journey through the invisible natural world, Observations on Being brings together a series of thought-provoking and immersive audio visual art installations and soundscapes, which challenge our ideas of life and death and examine our symbiotic relationship with nature.

The ambitious works will be located across the beautiful, tree-filled spaces and buildings of Charterhouse Heritage Park - Joseph Paxton’s Grade I listed cemetery and its arboretum.

Observations on Being has been developed by Marshmallow Laser Feast in collaboration with artists James Bulley and Natan Sinigaglia and some of the extraordinary and influential scientists, writers and musicians who have inspired and informed their work, including Jon Hopkins, Suzanne Ciani, Merlin Sheldrake, David Abram, Daisy Lafarge and Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS, pioneers in medical image computing.

Observations on Being was commissioned by Coventry City of Culture Trust and produced in partnership with York Mediale, working closely with the Friends of London Road Cemetery. It is presented in partnership with Historic Coventry Trust, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and Coventry City Council.

The production is funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation. Part of the #GreenFutures programme.

The Tides Within Us was originally co-commissioned with York Mediale, supported and presented by York Museums Trust and made in collaboration with Fraunhofer MEVIS.

The experience

Go to Charterhouse Field. Your journey begins at the Ticket Office near the free car park. Check your ticket for your entry time. A City Host will direct you to your starting point at London Road Cemetery to meet your Experience Leader. The event is mostly outdoors so we recommend sturdy shoes and please dress for the weather. You may bring an umbrella. Toilets and fresh water are available.

Ticket Office location https://what3words.com/cabin.icons.rice

Please note the free car park has a height restriction of 2m or 6'7".

You will be guided by your Experience Leader through the open air, in indoor spaces and on grass. Some areas have uneven ground with some small inclines. We invite you to dwell outdoors and under trees.

Video Gallery

Event Photography

Observations on Being Photo by David Levene

Safety

Please follow the instructions from your Experience Leader at all times for your own safely. If entering an indoor space please wear your own face covering and be aware of the space. For social distancing, group sizes are limited to 6.

About The Artist

Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF) create immersive experiences, expanding perception and exploring our connection with the natural world. Fusing architectural tools, contemporary imaging techniques and performance with tactile forms, MLF sculpt spaces that lay dormant until animated by curiosity and exploration. Informed as much by playfulness as research, MLF break the boundaries to worlds beyond our senses.

MLF’s work has been exhibited in the UK and internationally including at; the Saatchi Gallery, NXT Museum, Lisbon Triennial, Istanbul Design Biennial, the Sundance Film Festival, the V&A and Design Museum, London.

About York Mediale

York Mediale is a new media arts collective, bridging the gap between the new and the traditional, aiming to challenge and inspire through commissioning work from artists who are too often underrepresented.

Year-round they bring new media art of undeniable international quality to audiences that is thought-provoking, beautiful, fundamentally accessible, unpretentious, and sometimes controversial.

York Mediale is an independent arts charity, originally founded in 2017 to celebrate the designation of York as the UK’s first and only UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts.

Access information

Audio described
BSL interpreted

Please register with Access Card so that we can be able to meet your access requirements, and you will be able to book access tickets including a personal assistant or carer ticket.

You have 2 options, either electronic registration linked to your Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 account or electronic registration + a physical card sent to you which you can present at venues.

For more information and to register:

Access Card

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that you have an accessible experience, and staff will be on hand to ensure all access requirements are met, if you require any specific provision or more information in relation to a specific access requirement please contact [email protected].

For extra assistance prior to your visit, an access guide with route map will be available to download.

This is an outdoor event and you should dress according to the weather. Some of the route is uneven, with different surfaces. There are benches and quiet spaces along the route for your convenience if needed. There is low lighting in places.

Special provision has been made for wheelchair access. If you or a member of your party is not a wheelchair user but may need extra assistance – please contact [email protected].

Audio Described sessions are on the following dates:

Sunday 18, Wednesday 21 and Saturday 24 July at 11:30 / 13:30 / 15:30 / 17:30

BOOK HERE

BSL Interpreted sessions are on the following dates:

Wednesday 14*, Saturday 17 and Sunday 25 July: 11:30* / 13:30 / 15:30 /17:30

*no 11:30 session on Wednesday 14 July

BOOK HERE