We’re delighted to be able to announce a new interactive light installation that will be one of the main attractions of this year’s Dronfield Arts Festival – entitled “Ocean World”.
At last year’s festival, John Sutcliffe – our artist in residence – delighted audiences with a spectacular lantern parade and lights show that was projected onto the front of the Barn. This year, the exhibition will take place inside The Peel Centre – and just as before, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to get involved with the project.
“Primavera Calling” was projected onto the Barn as part of last year’s Dronfield Arts Festival – watch the film above.
“Ocean World” is organised into three themes – Reef, Wave and Living Lanterns. Each will use cutting edge technology to create a fully immersive experience, which visitors of all ages will be invited to enter and explore. Over the weekend, Ocean World will develop and change – as new artwork created by the public is added.
Fancy getting involved? This is what is planned across the different themes:
Living Lanterns
The exhibition will begin with creation of lanterns based on an undersea theme, which will be made in schools and in workshops at the Barn. Following the parade along High Street, the lanterns will be displayed on the entrance to The Peel Centre, and illuminated using LED lighting.
Workshops will be conducted throughout March and April where you will be able to make your own lantern for just £2 and then bring it along to join the parade.
Workshops to be held on the following dates:
Saturday 13th April
Tuesday 16th April
Tuesday 23rd April
All 10am-2pm
Reef
We’ll be running workshops where children and adults are invited to draw and paint images of fish and corals and place them onto the Reef Wall. This will create a developing artwork where pieces are individually lit using state of the art projection mapping techniques to create a huge living artwork where colours and patterns move across the fish and corals – a dazzling animated scene!
Come along and create your own sea creature for just £2.
Workshops running across the Arts Festival weekend – just drop in!
Wave
Inspired by Japanese artwork, this part of the exhibition will be where interactive 3D cameras track your movements and represent them within the moving ocean waves, affecting the movement of water on the screens. Have a go when you come and join us for the ‘Reef’ workshop.
Ocean World is made possible by the Dronfield Arts Festival, Bracken Media and Hillside AVL.

John Sutcliffe’s spectacular light show was a highlight of last year’s Arts Festival.
John Sutcliffe is also running weekly arts workshops in the The Peel Centre, which take place every Thursday from 1:30pm-4:30pm. Due to the popularity of these courses we are adding a morning course from April. This will also take place in the Peel Centre from 9:15 to 12:15, and run in the downstairs room. To book visit our website www.dronfieldhallbarn.org/events ring 01246 418122 or call in to the Barn. To learn more about John’s work, and see previous examples of digital work he has produced for the Barn, please visit his website by clicking here: https://johnsutcliffeart.wordpress.com/