Delightful. Intriguing. Resonant.
Support Us
THE CLEANSING OF CONSTANCE BROWN presented by STAN'S CAFE
@ A E Harris, 1st - 19th March, 18.30 & 20.30 (running time 70min)
(no perfs. Sundays or Mondays)
TICKETS FOR ALL SHOWS ARE NOW AVAILABLE VIA THE MAC BOX OFFICE
The Black Maze is an adventure in the dark for one person at a time.
It is a five minute journey into the darkness of your own imagination.
It doesn't look very big from the outside, but once you dare to enter you
find yourself in seemingly never ending narrow, black twisting corridors.
You feel your way through the dark, you hear you heart beat echoing all
around and you catch glimpses of your frightened face staring back at you from the gloom.
Your feet feel unsteady beneath you but you must keep going and never turn back,
keep going until you see the stars.
The Black Maze was commissioned by Alan James for Birmingham City Council's
Revolution event, which took place on 2nd & 3rd January 2000, part of the city's Forward Festival.
It was designed and built by Stan's Cafe in collaboration with Mark Anderson from the
Multi-Media Co-operative Blissbody. Customised electronics were built to Mark's
specification by the excellent Graham Calvert, also of Blissbody. Special optical
effects were kindly supplied by P.A.Lights. From initial discussions through to
completion the maze took six weeks to build. It contains nine speakers, four microphones,
a video camera, four sampler boxes, what seems like miles of cable and a host of secrets.
The Black Maze used to be flat packed but is now
built into the back of a 7.5 tonne lorry and so is now entirely self contained and ready to go.
It has been incredibly popular wherever it has been - it has toured villages on the outskirts of Paris, it
has been in a shopping centre in Ireland, the middle of a field in Berkshire, a pub beer garden in Devon,
the seafront in Bexhill on sea to name but a few.
It was decommissioned late in 2010.
No video available - yet.
Designed and built by
Mark Anderson, Craig Stephens and James Yarker
Custom electronics Graham Calvert
The Black Maze was commissioned by Alan James for Revolution, part of Birmingham City Council's Forward Festival.
The lorry conversion was made possible by an Arts Council England Touring Grant.
With Thanks To:
Paul Arvidson & P.A. Lights
Parcel Force and Cadbury World each for giving us parking space for a number of years.
John Sloyan of A E Harris & Co. (Birmingham) Ltd. for giving us parking space in the final years.
Phil Collier for dealing with the implications of John's kindness.
Graham Clavert for his on going PAT testing help.
With No Thanks At All To:
Whoever stole our batteries whilst it was parked at Cadbury World.
"Imagine a whole lifetime's worth of exhilaration and confusion condensed into five
minutes and you have some idea of what The Black Maze is like. It offers the same
breathtaking thrills and choking excitement as a good ghost train but in a subtler
form and with more of your own involvement ...."
Nicholas Royle - The Independent On Sunday
"It was an exhilarating experience pushing forward through the darkness.
It seemed to be a metaphor of life, going into the void, yet emerging into the light
after a successful journey."
Irene (Audience Member)
"A wonderful experience of the excitement associated with fear, darkness and the unknown"
Anon Audience Member
"An outstanding example of how to trust ones touch, the importance of our hearts,
while also struggling to form a sense of direction."
Anon Audience Member
"The transition of physical space to imagined space, reminiscent of many aspects of life today."
Anon Audience Member
Unfortunately you are too late to buy The Black Maze, it was sold to someone more interested
in lorries than mazes. It exists now merely as memories and photographs.
I came across The Black Maze in Budapest when I went to the dentist there.
It was brilliant and so unexpected, I wandered by chance to the truck
in the street and watched people come out a little door in the back one by one,
visibly affected by their experience. I had no idea what was inside, people were
waiting to go in, it was very mysterious. Each person had to pass through the
installation alone. It was like a mad dream inside, with the walls squeezing
you and ethereal sounds being triggered by your movements, doors into different
fractured dimensions, hidden doors, and clever manipulations of our normal senses.
Altogether a top class show. Thanks.
Sarah Lovett
Diary
Shop
- 2010
5th - 10th October:
Domaine d'O, Montpellier - 11th - 12th September:
ArtsFest, Birmingham - 4th - 8th August:
The National Theatre, London - 2009
24th - 25th May:
Junction, Cambridge - 2008
5th - 9th August:
The National Theatre, London - 2007
25th - 27th August:
Compton Verney - 5th - 7th February:
Nagy Britmania Supernow Festival, Budapest - 2006
27th - 28th May:
Fusion East Festival, London - 11th May:
Metropole Hotel, Brighton (NHS Staff Event) - 22nd April:
Fuse Festival, Chatham - 2005
4th - 7th August:
Stockton International Riverside Festival - 9th - 10th July:
Godiva Festival, Coventry - 25th June:
Haywards Heath Hospital Fun Day - 17th - 18th June:
Celebrating Sanctuary, Birmingham - 9th - 11th June:
St. Etienne - 3rd - 5th June:
Garden of Delights, Manchester - 31st March - 3rd April:
Edinburgh in Thessaloniki Festival, Greece - 26th March:
Brighton - 2004
9th - 11th November:
Warwick Arts Centre - 2nd July:
Independent Theatre Council 30th Birthday Party, London - 19th June:
Royal Sussex Hospital Fun Day - 27th March:
Craven Arms Community Centre - 2003
30th October - 2nd November:
Old Museum Arts Centre, Belfast (Belfast Festival) - 26 - 27th August:
Ampthill, Bedfordshire - 23 - 24th August:
Bexhill-on-Sea - 18 - 21st August:
Edinburgh College of Art - 6th August:
Nottingham - 22nd July:
Loughbrough University Students Union - 9th July:
Rural Touring Network Conference - 2nd - 3rd July:
Broadway School, Birmingham - 28th June:
Haywards Heath Hospital Fun Day - 21st June:
Corsham Festival - 14th - 16th June:
Celebrating Sanctuary Festival, Birmingham - 7th - 8th June:
Combe Martin and Ilfracombe (North Devon Festival) - 31st May:
Ludlow Assembly Rooms Tenth Anniversary Celebrations - 18th - 24th May:
La Ferme du Buisson, Noisiel, France - 17th February:
Broadway School Birmingham - 8th February:
Artsparks Festival, Nottingham - 2002
7th - 8th September:
ArtsFest Birmingham - 24th - 25th August:
Portsmouth - 14th - 17th August:
Kilkenny Arts Festival - 3th - 4th August:
Merseyside International Street Festival - 5th - 7th July:
South Hill Park, Bracknell - 4th July:
Castle Bromwich Art Site - 20th June:
Sheldon Heath Art Site - 1st, 5th - 8th June:
Art Sites Birmingham - 20th - 25th May:
Fierce Festival, Warwick Arts Centre - 9th - 11th May:
Brighton Street Arts Festival - Converted into its lorry form.
- 2001
14th - 16th August:
De La Warr Pavillion, Bexhill-on-Sea - 3rd - 17th March:
Site Gallery, Sheffield - 2000
24th - 27th October:
Freefall & Now Festivals, Nottingham - 26th August - 21st October:
Coming to Our Senses, Gas Hall, Birmingham - 2nd - 3rd January:
Revolution, ICC, Birmingham