SICK! FESTIVAL

Sick sense

Life, death and mental health come together in one festival

Sick! Festival, is a ground-breaking new festival exploring the physical, mental and social challenges of life and death and how we survive them (or don’t). Presenting an outstanding international, cross art-form programme of performance, film, public installations and debates, the festival seeks out new ways of talking about and dealing
with difficult issues, ways that are unflinching, informed, irreverent and humane. The programme is delivered in partnership with leading arts organisations, medical and academic institutions, charities and community groups.

This year the festival will explore a range of issues, including adolescence, mental illness, ageing and death. Here we’ve picked out some of the highlights…

Stories from the Front Line

An exciting public installation exhibits the work of four comic artists who have presented four Stories from the Front Line of medical practice in Brighton.

Four patients and four doctors share their stories, giving their own accounts of true events that are moving, revealing, honest and challenging. The resulting graphic narratives are presented in a largescale light-box installation in Jubilee Square. (Running now until March 31st) UK premiere.

The Eradication of Schizophrenia in Western Lapland by Ridiculusmus

The UK premiere is inspired by a treatment method for psychosis that has virtually eradicated schizophrenia from Western Lapland. It conjures up a comic nightmare of delusion while offering a hopeful world of polyphonic uncertainty, a world where dialogue can transform your life.

Multi-award winning company Ridiculusmus has a 20 year strong track record of creating, presenting and touring high quality and innovative new theatre. (March 5th & 6th, The Basement)

Journey

The strength and vulnerability of the human body is celebrated in the UK premiere of Journey, a dance choreographed and performed by 32 year old Koen de Preter and 88 year old professional dancer Alphea Pouget. This event pushes boundaries and bridges the gap between young and old, and 60 years of dance history. The performance is followed by Healthy Ageing, a discussion with Professor of Human and Applied Physiology, Stephen Harridge and the dancers (March 14th, The Old Market)

In May

A beautiful and sumptuous piece of music theatre charting the final months of a man in the advanced stages of cancer. Featuring haunting music by Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy), stunning and atmospheric lighting design by Imitating the Dog, and a live string ensemble (Ligeti Quarter), In May takes the form of a series of letters from a son to a father, each set to music. (March 19th, The Old Market)

The festival programme is supported by the Arts Council England, Wellcome Trust, Brighton & Hove City Council and the Roddick Foundation. SICK! Festival is delivered by The Basement with contributions from over 25 academics and medical To book tickets go to www.sickfestival.com