A major digital arts gathering is set to transform Brighton and Hove with a programme of free events spanning three days in late October.
At the centre of the Dreamy Place festival stands Nova, a monumental glowing star installation commissioned for the newly unveiled Pavilion Square fronting the Royal Pavilion.
Studio Vertigo, a British art collective, designed the piece, which draws its name from the celestial phenomenon in which a dormant star suddenly blazes back to brilliance.
The 56,000 laser-cut apertures within the structure project swirling cosmic patterns across the ground, while embedded smoke machines simulate the impression of a stellar body descending towards the earth.
Complementing the visual spectacle, Nova incorporates a bespoke audio component derived from information gathered through NASA’s open-science initiatives.
Astronomical measurements were converted into ambient soundscapes, offering gentle tonal textures rather than conventional musical accompaniment.
The creation intends to prompt reflection on humanity’s cosmic context, drawing connections between celestial bodies and terrestrial existence.
Further installations punctuate the urban landscape throughout the festival weekend of October 23-25.
Jubilee Square hosts Natural Frequency, a sonic artwork assembled by Chinabot and Platform Asia that spotlights practitioners from Southeast Asia who investigate acoustic environments and geographical spaces.
Nearby at POST in Hove, Dan Holdsworth presents Acceleration Structures, a video work employing three-dimensional cartographic techniques to render the glaciers of Mont Blanc as intricate digital topographies.
The Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts provides the venue for Bird Bath, conceived by television presenter Alistair Appleton alongside ecoacoustician Alice Eldridge.
The piece utilises high-fidelity field recordings captured in Sussex wildlife havens, presenting audiences with the vocalisations of indigenous avian species and surrounding ecosystems.
South East Dance serves as the hub for the programme’s launch, incorporating works that fuse physical performance with technological innovation.
Divya Kasturi’s MargaM delivers an immersive virtual reality encounter within South Indian temple surroundings.
A collaboration with the Oska Bright Film Festival extends the offerings on Saturday, October 24, as five brief cinematic works centred on fauna, geography and ecological themes illuminate historic structures across the city centre.
Recognised globally as the preeminent showcase for productions involving learning-disabled or autistic filmmakers and performers, Oska Bright brings distinctive perspectives to the broader creative technology agenda.
Younger audiences access the festivities through structured activities at Brighton Youth Centre, where Monster Mashed—a toy deconstruction and environmental consciousness workshop facilitated by Exploring Senses—provides participants with the opportunity to transform discarded electronic devices into inventive new objects.
Videoclub, the cultural organisation coordinating Dreamy Place, confirmed that most engagements require no admission charge and welcome visitors across all age brackets.