Planetarium Lates: You Are Here
★★★☆☆ Humbling
Dynamic Earth (venue 315): Tue 6 – Thur 22Aug 2024
Review by Marion Geoffray
Planetarium Lates: You Are Here at Dynamic Earth, takes the audience on an immersive and dizzying journey through the universe. In the comfort of your own seat, travel to infinity and beyond, breaking the laws of physics to find out where we are exactly in the galaxy.
It is not your typical Fringe show in that it is not strictly speaking a performing arts production. Where in a more traditional venue, the action would be staged in front of you, in the planetarium, your attention is drawn overhead to a celestial theatre.
Planetarium Lates
There are no performers as such, although James, the astronomer guiding us on our space exploration delivers, mostly in the dark, a very passionate and engaging monologue that is worthy of any fringe performances. All in all, it is an entertaining spectacle that invites a reflection on our humanity both here and extraterrestrial.
The show touches on climate change as we watch a timel-apse shot from outer space of the Earth’s surface dramatically changing. It’s a flagrant reminder of our responsibility not to look for another planet to emigrate to but to preserve the one where we are right now.
disorienting
A curated soundtrack including classics such as Clint Mansell’s Welcome to Lunar Industries or Out of Space by the Prodigy, accompanies us as we soar above Edinburgh. Soon, stars, moons, planets and the milky way surround us in an astonishing 360 degrees sight. When we zoom in and out of our world, it is at times disorienting both physically and mentally. We are but a speck of dust in this infinite abyss, but we are well and truly there.
At the performance Æ visited, a minor technical fault prevented some of the content from being displayed properly but James smoothly moved on and improvised on the spot. It didn’t hinder the overall experience though.
As we land back from our interstellar voyage, we are reminded that no matter how far our journey takes us, it’s always important to look back at where we started.
Running time: 45 minutes (no interval)
Dynamic Earth (Planetarium), address, EH8 8AS (Venue 315)
Tuesday 6 – Thursday 22 August 2024
Tue 6, Thur 8; Tue 13/Wed 14; Wed 21/Thur 22: 6pm
Details and tickets at: Book here
Website: https://dynamicearth.org.uk
Facebook: @dynamicearthedinburgh
Instagram: @dynamic_earth
X: @ourdynamicearth
ENDS
