Inside Out Dorset, the biennial festival of international outdoor arts, begins this week, offering ten days of free performances and installations across five locations.
Co-artistic directors Kate Wood and Bill Gee said the festival will bring people together, with many works created through local community involvement.
In Christchurch, Town Quay will host River of Hope from Friday to Monday. The installation features around 80 flags and sails designed by students from local schools, accompanied by music from Dorset rapper Isaiah Dreads. The work is part of a national project giving young people the chance to express their concerns about the climate crisis.
At Moors Valley Country Park and Forest near Ashley Heath, Dorset artist Lorna Rees presents Canopy, a sound-art installation with 24 listening pods among the trees. Visitors can explore unique sound worlds during the day and take part in a torchlit evening event on Thursday 18 September.
In Yeovil and later at Corfe Castle, Radical Ritual’s Consequences will appear as a giant artwork created with local groups. It forms part of Nature Calling, a nationwide project to connect people with their natural surroundings. Performances by Catalan artists will accompany the Corfe Castle weekend.
Lighthouse Poole is supporting the Corfe Castle. “Lighthouse is delighted to be supporting high quality international work being presented in our region,” says Lighthouse Chief Executive Elspeth McBain.
The programme also includes Poi, a juggling piece performed by Guillem Vizcaíno, and Arrels, a participatory installation with 16 interactive games inspired by traditions from around the world, staged in the grounds of St Edward’s Church.
Other works include We Fear, a promenade theatre piece created with Dorsetborn, and Idiòfona at Corfe Castle, where visitors will help create a large sound installation as part of Heritage Open Days.
The festival concludes in Weymouth on 19 and 20 September with Sonnet of Samsara. The performance combines dance, music and community involvement as participants weave from the town centre to the beach, forming a moving artwork that closes both the festival and the Beach of Dreams coastal arts project.
Inside Out Dorset will return in 2027 to mark its 20th anniversary.
