In recent years there’s been an emergence of atheist thinkers, invariably linked with the scientific and astronomical community, as those aligned with science do academic battle with theologians and creationists.
We’ve seen the likes of Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss elevated to rockstar status and the resurrection of the TV show Cosmos with astro-physicist Neil Degrasse-Tyson at the helm.
It’s no surprise, then, that Elemental, originally shown at the 2009 Melbourne International Arts Festival sold out almost immediately.
The show was staged at the Planetarium with support by the Wheeler Centre and was billed as a night of poetry, music, video and astronomy, directed by Alicia Sometimes, also one of the writers.
Represented as an immersive experience, that’s exactly what it was. Our senses were surrounded and the mind was drawn into questioning what’s around us, within and outside the realms of science.
A wonderful introduction by Dr Alan Duffy, astronomy and science expert at Swinburne University set the tone for what was ultimately a night exploring the stars, the universe, philosophy, science, the meaning of life with the assistance of music, poetry and performance.
The name of the show was indicative of the breadth of the content and its tendency to prompt audience members to think about the natural world and science – and how much we can gain from it, in a somewhat existential sense.
Elemental has many connotations: the elements, ‘it’s elementary dear Watson’, or even alchemy with Elementals as beings in the works of Paracelsus in the 16th century.
This is a body of work that aimed to enlighten you, not just with knowledge of the greater world, but also through questions that you could ask of yourself and those around you.
One of the more disappointing aspects of the show was the technical delays and difficulties. While none of them were catastrophic or show-stopping, in an immersive experience like this one, the spell is broken with a dropped mike or an error with lighting. It seemed a shame.
Fundamentally, however, Elemental was an amazing experience. No wonder it sold out all six of its shows in this run, with two at the Scienceworks Planetarium and two at the Bendigo Planetarium.
Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 stars
Elemental
By Alicia Sometimes
Melbourne Planetarium, Scienceworks
www.wheelercentre.com/events/event/elemental/
July 10 & 11
Bendigo Planetarium, Discovery Science and Technology Centre
July 18
