Light fantastic for festival season

IT promises to be one of the most spectacular events in the history of Edinburgh’s festivals – as well as a communal endurance test like no other.

Organisers have warned would-be participants in a spectacular light show set to transform Arthur’s Seat for a month next August to start training now if they want to take part in the Edinburgh International Festival production. Launching details of the project yesterday, they revealed that Speed of Light will see around 250 participants – fitted with specially-designed “light suits” – running around Arthur’s Seat for up to two-and-a-half hours.

Potential applicants are being warned that they will need to be fit enough to tackle a three to five kilometre hill run by next summer if they want to take part in the £500,000 project, one of Scotland’s major projects staged to coincide with the Olympics.

Monthly training sessions will take place on the 350 million year-old extinct volcano from February in a bid to get a potential 5000 participants up to scratch.

Organisers said the event was being planned to “investigate the physiological and psychological aspects to endurance running, exploring the impact within the body and the extent to which power of mind can override physical pain”.

They also pledged that performances of the event will only be called in “extreme” weather conditions.

Jog Scotland has agreed to help train participants for the event, which will see them running, jogging and walking at different stages of each performance, with Hollywood choreographer Litza Bixler, who worked on zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead, masterminding the project.

It is being organised by Glasgow-based arts organisation NVA, which has previously staged large-scale outdoor events at the likes of the Old Man of Storr in Skye.

Angus Farquhart, creative director at NVA, said: “I have no doubt we will get enough participants for the project. If you are at all interested in running it is pretty much unmissable.

“If you are capable of running a 5k you should be able to take part in it with a bit of training and hill work and that’s why we’re running monthly sessions.

“We’ve already been testing out the equipment and a few technical rehearsals with around 100 people who have already registered an interest. Although we’re only just launching, there’s been great word of mouth so far, and I think this will be the hot ticket of the festivals to go to next summer.”

Although participants can sign up to take part in as many performances as they like, it will cost them £10 each time. A further 800 audience members a night will be carrying “walking staffs” to generate their own light effects on the landmark, with Speed of Light expected to be visible across the capital.

The “light suits”, described as being similar to climbing harnesses, are said to weigh the equivalent of a small rucksack.

Up to 20 different routes around Arthur’s Seat will be used for the event, which will be staged from 9 August to 1 September, and will be revived in some form in Glasgow for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Jonathan Mills, Edinburgh International Festival director, said: “Speed of Light is a vast and exciting project with important and timely ambitions. We are very proud to be presenting its premiere.”

Andrew Dixon, chief executive of Creative Scotland, one of the event’s main funders, said: “Bringing together precision choreography, cutting-edge energy technology and breathtaking physical stamina, Speed of Light will be a unique experience for runners and for audiences.”