1 – The Liquid Stage
Probably the most obvious choice, and definitely the biggest piece of art on site. The Liquid Stage arrived at Noisily in 2014 after a brief hiatus from the UK festival circuit, having been a powerhouse at the earlier Glades.
In many ways the Liquid Stage and Liquid Records itself represent the resilience and continual reincarnation of the UK’s Psychedelic scene, and in it’s current guise these sentiments could not ring more true. Each year, the evolution of the stage provides a 4 dimensional audio-visual platform for a diverse plethora of ravers and cosmic vibers, who descend on the Coney Woods to celebrate their individuality, and share in their common appreciation of love and music.
In 2014 and 2015 the Liquid Faeiries produced a stunning canopy and facade (bottom image). While last year our new Art Director Ruth Herbert joined forces with Noisily favourites Daz and Charlie, Graham at Geomatrix Design, Matt from InOrbit, and our favourite visuals team Video Illusions, to produce a jaw dropping stage front (top image).
2017 sees the current design grow, as the biannual morphology of the UK’s Psychedelic Mecca continues!
2 – The Art Gallery
Not a standalone piece, rather a collection of some of the World’s foremost psychedelic and visionary artists. Our gallery sat half way down the Liquid drag across a babbling brook, reached by crossing a small wooden bridge, and nestled under a canopy of rich deciduous English oaks.
2017 will see a change in the space, with a fully immersive and interactive piece taking it’s place, where guests are encouraged to become part of the installation!
3 – The Bifurcated Oak
Smack bang in the middle of the festival site is a large Oak Tree which splits almost at the floor, reaching out and upwards, providing shade, cover from the elements, and an opportunity for creativity given it’s almost universally visible throughout the site.
The funny thing about this tree is that Arthur, the owner of Noseley Estate, wanted to chop it down when he was a boy, as it was unattractive and in the way. However he decided to leave it, and is extremely happy he did, as it now provides a canvas for artists to adorn each July.
In year one we hung several hundred vinyls in chains all over it, the second year saw LED strips and hidden speakers rigged up to a motion sensor, and in 2016 light artist Caz Dickson covered the tree in magical fibre optics. In an interview last year she cited David Attenborough as one of her biggest influences, although indirectly, recalling the “bioluminescent, fragile creatures at the bottom of the oceans she saw in his documentaries.”
4 – 10 Million
Sustainability and renewables are a key element of Noisily, and we believe that their existence on the forest floor shouldn’t be limited to the way we manage our infrastructure, but included in the art and performance as well.
Last year, as well as taking care to reuse materials during the build, we also wanted to symbolise this ethos with a specific installation. This is where artist Zac Greening came into play.
His sculpture 10 Million was crafted in response to a recent study that found that we pollute our oceans with roughly ten million metric tonnes of plastic each year. The Light cube that he brought to Noisily was made from over two hundred and fifty up-cycled plastic bottles, and symbolised only one of these cubic metres.
5 – The Crashed Balloon
Three years ago our friend Emily rang up and told us she had a 5m diameter UFO, wrapped in LED’s, with a miniature 1950’s American style kitchen inside. Obviously we said yes!
Nestled amongst the trees, you could see it from the moment you entered the site, although had to take second, third and fourth glances, along with intermittent rubbing of eyes, to actually believe what you were seeing. The best bit, was that in the early hours she would sneak in there and place those tiny multipack boxes of Kellogg’s cereals, for hungry ravers who wandered in to gawp at the “space”.
Last year Emily returned, although this time her flying apparatus was slightly more dated. She had opted for a beautiful hot air balloon which was designed to look as though it had crashed through the trees, and got stuck on the way!
