74
Das Fazit//
The summary
Von Angus Farquhar, Künstlerischer Leiter NVA//
By Angus Farquhar, Creative Director NVA
Many of the places in which we perform Speed
of Light are not perfect, like history itself they
are in transition and all the more interesting for
that. Emscher Landscape Park is one of the
world’s greatest and most imaginative reclama-
tion and restoration projects. It show how things
can be done when co-operation takes place over
a whole region, the citizens who worked to-
gether to make it possible should be rightly
proud.
While a great opportunity for NVA, the sheer
scale of ambition demanded by the Ruhr Touris-
mus commission was hugely challenging. To run
and produce complex mass choreography in six
cities over three nights in 100 bespoke wirelessly
controlled light suits. We must have been mad
to agree and on that I rest my case!
speed of light ruhr represents visionary art
curation equal to anything seen concurrently in
Germany. It set out to connect powerful public
art to the experience of ordinary people and
their surroundings. There could be no better
way to articulate the relationship between 20
th
century industrial heritage linked by carefully
sculpted green corridors - the invisible asset
that connect all the sites into a seamless whole.
If the 20
th
century was the time of the combustion
engine, then this century could be termed the
time of the ‘human engine’. This speaks of a
different type of progress separate to the techni-
cal innovations of the digital revolution. It takes
the body as a starting point to be more grounded
in the real world. speed of light ruhr made an
appeal to a specific group of people; those wil-
ling to endure pain and physical discomfort,
those willing to push themselves and use run-
ning to know themselves better.
There is a subtle narrative that runs under the
expressive manifestation of Speed of Light and
that is the exploration of the internal spirit seen
in the outside world. Here light represents ener-
gy both literally as electromagnetic phenomena,
delineating the geometry of space but also as
metaphor for human aspiration. What we collec-
tively made demonstrates a good way to work
together; a mass movement that transcends
language or cultural difference. It speaks to a
universal need.
I have nothing but respect for everyone we met
and collaborated with in the Ruhr. There was an
uncomplaining commitment and solidity that
you do not find often. It erases any memories of
the stressful times and reconfirms all that is
worthwhile. Thanks to each and every person
who took part and made it possible to carry that
feeling back to Scotland. I have some incredible
imagery seared into my mind from the different
locations. But the strongest memory was moving
on foot between each venue, the songs and
camaraderie, with runners doing what they do
best, just running.
