Arcadia 2024

[Garrypp]

5 minutes ago, HotChipWillBreakYourLegs said:

 

I had to go back to 2017 on the clash finder to find when they last did the Metamorphosis show.

 

 

i liked the early sunday show...#oldfart

[Crazyfool01]

‘The transformation of the first dragonfly marks the dawn of a new season’

Arcadia kicks off a whole new chapter at Glastonbury with their boldest installation yet. The Dragonfly, a giant biomechanical creature, will awaken at the heart of an evolved geometric space, exploring ideas around renewal, our relationship with technology and how we adapt to a changing climate.

Built from an ex-military Royal Navy helicopter, The Dragonfly repurposes a weapon of destruction into a unifying symbol. As conflicts flare around the world, the transformational nature of the sculpture is a monument to hope.

The transformation of the first dragonfly to mark the dawn of a new season resonates through cultures, none older than the Aboriginal First Nations of Australia. Each night, Arcadia and representatives of the Wadjuk Noongar nation will perform Warraloo, a spectacular ceremony that sees The Dragonfly burst into life. It celebrates possibility in epic style, inviting reflection on a changing climate and ways to navigate it through cooperation and the creative use of technology.

Roaming both the Arcadia field and the wider festival will be the dragonfly’s mobile, amphibious cousin – the Bug. Built from submarine moulds, the Bug comes alive on six wheels of self contained sculpture, spreading the carnival spirit with its own eclectic lineup and a custom soundsystem hand built by Minirigs.

2024 also sees a whole new daytime dimension to Arcadia’s world – an interactive kids area open to families. The Alchemists’ Playground is a collaboration with constructive play specialists Woodland Tribe – a forge of ideas, workshops and creative adventure. Drawing on key Arcadia elements like repurposing, engineering, design and performance, children of all ages will learn to weld recycled metal creations, try out circus skills and build their own adventure playground. Expect a riot of imagination and some epic pieces of Arcadia hardware to get creative with, all culminating in a massive party on Saturday with Junior Jungle.

A new installation, a new generation and new frontiers of innovation – 2024 is a year of renewal.

[cb4747]

I normally miss Arcadia so in an attempt to hear some new music I made a playlist- any additions welcome 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5YkzP0GOoKb6U7zvf1Yjoa?si=WnJ3-SKUQ_CUsGDGORYczQ&pi=e-i2fntHs2Q5e5

[lendan]

Such a good lineup and with a complete stage change, day activities, it's going to be an epic area

[Nuthugger]

what does b2b mean? im guessing back to back but what does it mean in practical terms. one person plays a record then the other person plays their record??

[dumski]

2 minutes ago, Nuthugger said:

what does b2b mean? im guessing back to back but what does it mean in practical terms. one person plays a record then the other person plays their record??

Yes - or quite often they will do 3 tunes then swap

[Nuthugger]

Just now, dumski said:

Yes - or quite often they will do 3 tunes then swap

is it like a battle or more collaborative? or just a handy way for the other person to go for a quick wee and stuff?

[bennyhana22]

9 minutes ago, Nuthugger said:

is it like a battle or more collaborative? or just a handy way for the other person to go for a quick wee and stuff?

I'll take that as a serious question! Creating a genuinely excellent DJ set is an artform in itself, and there are more ordinary/poor sets than truly great ones. To do so takes skill and planning, with the DJ also responding to what is happening in the crowd. Contrary to the assertion of those disparaging about dance music, it really is not just plug in your USB stick and press play. I've seen sets by DJs I'm not especially keen on that have been so beautifully constructed and put together, they were magnificent. 
 

Doing a b2b can be fraught with challenges to that fluency, as you have two people trying to put their own stamps on the set. But, when both DJs have done their prep and are really in sync, they can be amazing. I anticipate the HAAi b2b KI/KI set, on an all new Arcadia installation, being one for the ages. 
 

Ben

[Lubic]

1 hour ago, HotChipWillBreakYourLegs said:

 

I had to go back to 2017 on the clash finder to find when they last did the Metamorphosis show.

 

 

I went to that final Metamorphosis show as none of the headliners took my fancy, and I realised I hadn’t seen the show since 2011 - really enjoyed it.  However found the spider pretty underwhelming when it returned in 2022. 
 

Looking forward to seeing what they come up with this year. With regard to the blades, maybe they could run them at a slower speed and/or replace them with a less dangerous material?

[tomf3]

So do you think it will remain a fully outdoor stage? The poster and description about being at the heart of a geometric space, implies to me some sort of a canopy similar to the Glade dome. Those towers that have gone up already could be more to do with that the sound (as they look a bit close to the centre). Probably totally wrong but hey!

[Nuthugger]

34 minutes ago, bennyhana22 said:

I'll take that as a serious question! Creating a genuinely excellent DJ set is an artform in itself, and there are more ordinary/poor sets than truly great ones. To do so takes skill and planning, with the DJ also responding to what is happening in the crowd. Contrary to the assertion of those disparaging about dance music, it really is not just plug in your USB stick and press play. I've seen sets by DJs I'm not especially keen on that have been so beautifully constructed and put together, they were magnificent. 
 

Doing a b2b can be fraught with challenges to that fluency, as you have two people trying to put their own stamps on the set. But, when both DJs have done their prep and are really in sync, they can be amazing. I anticipate the HAAi b2b KI/KI set, on an all new Arcadia installation, being one for the ages. 
 

Ben

 

so they are trying to work together more than trying to beat each other (like say in a rap battle). 

Edited May 22 by Nuthugger
and yes. serious questions. this genre is something id like to get into a bit more

[Crazyfool01]

3 minutes ago, tomf3 said:

So do you think it will remain a fully outdoor stage? The poster and description about being at the heart of a geometric space, implies to me some sort of a canopy similar to the Glade dome. Those towers that have gone up already could be more to do with that the sound (as they look a bit close to the centre). Probably totally wrong but hey!

yeah those hexagons interest me ... done with some kind of lighting ? 

[Cheesey]

2 minutes ago, Lubic said:

However found the spider pretty underwhelming when it returned in 2022

 

Agreed. Large parts of the structure from previous years were missing so it was much smaller, and there was no show. IIRC it was a make-do job though, after planning permission for the crane fell through? Financial issues after Covid obviously wouldn't have helped either.

 

The dragonfly sounds like it could be a real return to form though 🤞

[stuie]

11 minutes ago, Lubic said:

With regard to the blades, maybe they could run them at a slower speed and/or replace them with a less dangerous material?

 

Dragonfly don't have blades - I expect the blades will be removed and the helicopter will have 4 wings, maybe the wings will move? 

[tomf3]

7 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

yeah those hexagons interest me ... done with some kind of lighting ? 

Yeah I reckon lighting could be a big focus. As it's pretty un-environmentally friendly I wouldn't be surprised to see them move away from flames and experiment more with lighting 

[Crazyfool01]

1 minute ago, stuie said:

 

Dragonfly don't have blades - I expect the blades will be removed and the helicopter will have 4 wings, maybe the wings will move? 

surely they have to .... heard it will be suspended too 

[Crazyfool01]

Just now, tomf3 said:

Yeah I reckon lighting could be a big focus. As it's pretty un-environmentally friendly I wouldn't be surprised to see them move away from flames and experiment more with lighting 

used recycled veg oil I think last time so was better environmentally but think that took away a bit of the effect 

[Nuthugger]

question about the bug. ive seen it before but not in action. does it have a set route? guessing it must have for risk assessment reasons. how long does it stay in a location? and crucially...is it any good? do different acts have turns in it or is it one bug specialist dj?

Edited May 22 by Nuthugger

[tomf3]

Yeah it's better but I still don't think it's great for the environment, particularly when you see the black plumes that come off it when it's burning. I just wondered whether as they specifically mention "Adapting to a changing climate", that could be one obvious place to start (which I'll miss hugely as I love them flames!) 

[stuie]

8 minutes ago, Nuthugger said:

question about the bug. ive seen it before but not in action. does it have a set route? guessing it must have for risk assessment reasons. how long does it stay in a location? and crucially...is it any good? do different acts have turns in it or is it one bug specialist dj?

It's been in Shangri-la on Wednesday night for the last few festivals and then it'll move over to Arcadia's field for the rest of the festival.  DJ's will be published on the full line up. 

[Chazeboy]

i genuinely don't think that the flames will be going anywhere - on the Glastonbury environment video they put out yesterday - they bigged up how they moved to Bio Fuel - with footage from the spider firing - or at least with the Arcadia area (my minds fuzzy as i type) but to me thats a "look we have moved from nasty fuel to recycled fuel" - much better - carry on

 

not to say one day it wont go away all together but as they mention they incrementally get better every year - i juts don't think itll be this year that it goes away

Edited May 22 by Chazeboy

[tarw]

10 minutes ago, Nuthugger said:

question about the bug. ive seen it before but not in action. does it have a set route? guessing it must have for risk assessment reasons. how long does it stay in a location? and crucially...is it any good? do different acts have turns in it or is it one bug specialist dj?

It doesn’t have a set route but meanders randomly through the crowd. It’s dynamically risk assessed but tends to remain static if the field’s packed

[LateStarter50]

1 hour ago, bennyhana22 said:

I anticipate the HAAi b2b KI/KI set, on an all new Arcadia installation, being one for the ages. 

I've found each separately on youtube, reckon I'll be checking into that if I can 👍

[bennyhana22]

38 minutes ago, Nuthugger said:

 

so they are trying to work together more than trying to beat each other (like say in a rap battle). 

 

Yes, 100% the former.

 

It's very much a collaborative process to create something synergistic and different to them just playing alone every night. HAAi and KI/KI would seem, to me at least, a perfect match-up for a b2b. They've each played one of my favourite sets on the Farm - KI/KI on The Levels last year was amazing and HAAi on the old Genosys (to be reborn this year 🙌🏼) a few years ago remains one of the best techno sets I've ever seen. Absolutely spectacular. So, they seem a perfect combo to play alongside one another.

 

Ben

[bennyhana22]

7 minutes ago, LateStarter50 said:

I've found each separately on youtube, reckon I'll be checking into that if I can 👍

 

I see 'Trance' in your profile of interests - KI/KI often plays a lot of 'tech-trance' in her sets - melodic, but hard, techno at trance bpms. You should be in for a treat.

 

Ben