Tom HallBluedot’s organisers have told Access about the event’s expansion, and new production elements.
Billed as a celebration of music, science, art, technology and the exploration of space, the event took place at the now Unesco World Heritage site Jodrell Bank in 2016. The Saturday of Bluedot 2019 fell on 50 years to the day since the Apollo 11 Moon landings and mans’ first steps on the moon.
Bluedot added a new arena for 2019 , naming it Tranquility Base, the landing location of Apollo 11. Director Ben Robinson told Access: “We increased the headline speakers tent ‘Mission Control’ three fold to 2,000 capacity & celebrated the theme in that space with programming including James Burke, the original BBC anchor for the landing, Helen Sharman, the UK’s first astronauts, & a special screening of Wallace & Gromits a Grand day out (the one where they go to the moon).”
Working with Dogwoof Production’s, Bluedot screened documentary Apollo 11. As it’s still on its cinema run this required installing a specialist DCP compliant projector and screen. Robinson added: “The key achievement for the evening was Tim O’Brien undertaking a Moon bounce live on stage at 1am.
This involved sending signals which were audio supplied by Kraftwerk, New Order and Anna Calvi transferred into radio waves. They were then sent via skype to a telescope in the Netherlands. The team at Dwingello Telescope then transmitted the radio signal at the moon and Jodrell Bank Telescope Mark II picked up the returning signal, relayed it to Tim on stage where he transferred it from radio wave to sound wave and played it out of the speakers to the audience.
All in the space of less than three seconds and in the presence of Kraftwerk who were sitting in the front row taking it all in.
The arts programme included Luke Jerhams Moon, a scale replica of the Lunar landing module and a projection piece from Illimunos.
Robinson said the event is about being a fan of experiences and delivering something that you would ‘want to see yourself’. This year also featured RFID by Playpass.
