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‘Glistening orchestral landscape’ is not a phrase you’d usually associate with the Beech Street tunnel, the oppressive concrete walkway connecting Moorgate’s financial district with the brutalist jungle of the Barbican. But the usual traffic-filled passage is getting an arty makeover this weekend, thanks to Barbican OpenFest, an offshoot of the City of London’s Culture Mile.
‘Tunnel Visions: Array’, sees the usual Beech Street traffic halted and replaced with a hypnotic installation, complete with digital projections and a soundtrack laid on by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, which has got to be better than the sound of honking cars, right? Although the first bunch of tickets have been snapped up, 100 more free tickets are being released at 9am this weekend.
But don’t worry if you miss out on the tunnel fun as there’s plenty more to get involved in at Barbican OpenFest. You can perfect your pirouette at drop-in classes from the Ballet Black dance company between 12pm and 1pm on Sat 17 and stick around in the evening to find your groove at Just Jam Reloaded, a late-night mash-up of jazz, garage, rap and bashment hosted by those old hands of the grime world Tim & Barry. Let’s face it, anything that makes the Square Mile a little less, well, square, gets a thumbs up from us.
Barbican OpenFest takes place on Sat Mar 17-Sun Mar 18. Prices vary.
100 more free tickets for ‘Tunnel Visions: Array’ will be released for booking on this webpage at 9am on the day (Saturday or Sunday).
Do tunnels make you nervy? See art in a nice airy gallery instead at one of these London shows.
Image Nick Richards/Flickr