Six new installations have been announced for this year's IF: Milton Keynes International Festival, including 'robotic woodpeckers' and a 'breathing tunnel'.
The festival, which was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be running over 21 days this summer with a focus on work from UK-based artists.
From 10th to 30th July, there will be "imagination-catching artworks" dotted across the city's public spaces, parks, and large-scale retail areas.
And it has been confirmed that six distinctive installations, all free of charge, will be arriving at different city locations.
The first will be a display of pop-up robotic woodpeckers, which will be dotted across the city centre from 10th to 30th July. They will be attached by magnets to street signs, lamps, and other metal components of the urban landscape.
Second, commissioned by The Stables and seen here in its World Premiere, the 'Breathing Room' is a kinetic installation created by UK artist Anna Berry, known for creating socially and politically conscious work in non-gallery environments.
The 'breathing tunnel' will be at Queen's Court from 10th to 30th July. The illuminated tunnel will be lined with thousands of delicate paper-like cones that "move and breathe".
A spokesperson for the festival explained: "Its mesmeric movement is generated by the ingenious mechanics of a sculptural exterior created from found objects, cogs, chains and bicycle parts."
And the third installation is Yara + Davina’s 'Arrivals + Departures'. It is an interactive artwork rooted in the direct life and death experiences of local people.
"British social practice artists Davina Drummond and Yara El-Sherbini use the iconic format of an old-fashioned arrivals and departures board as a poetic context to reflect on birth, death and memories of lives lived," the spokesperson added.
From 10th to 30th July in City Square, names and other data will be gathered from the public and continually added to the artwork.
For MK Mandalas, international creative company Kinetika is working with two Milton Keynes artists and ten community groups to design and create 30 batik silk flags.
The spokesperson continued: " Inspired by the visual forms and mandala symbols that were used in designs for The Milton Keynes Rose - a spectacular public space in Campbell Park used for celebration, commemoration and contemplation - the flags incorporate resonant themes including coming together, appreciating nature and looking forward."
The flags will be on display at The Milton Keynes Rose from 16 to 18 July and 23 to 25 July, with additional events on 16 July to mark Milton Keynes Disability Awareness Day.
Another installation is the inflated 3D models of Earth and the Moon, by installation artist Luke Jerram. This will be the first time that the two works have been exhibited in the same city in the UK, at the same time.
Installed in two contrasting locations, 'Gaia' is in Middleton Hall in centre:mk, while 'Museum of the Moon' is in the greenery of the Tree Cathedral.
The two internally-lit sculptures are seven metres in diameter and feature detailed NASA imagery on their surfaces. Surround sound compositions by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award-winner Dan Jones feature voices including that of Sir David Attenborough.
The festival spokesperson said: "With Gaia, Jerram wants audiences to share an astronaut’s experience of seeing Earth from space for the first time – a feeling of wonder about the planet and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of it.
"The Moon has always inspired humanity, acting as a ‘cultural mirror’ to society, reflecting the ideas and beliefs of all people around the world. Museum of the Moon lets us observe and contemplate our cultural similarities and differences, and learn about the latest Moon science."
Gaia is in centre:mk for the duration of the Festival from 10 to 30 July. Museum of the Moon is in The Tree Cathedral, Newlands from 22 to 25 July.
The Festival’s full programme will be announced later on this month.
READ MORE - IF: Milton Keynes International Festival will take place over 21 days this year
