This six-minute trailer captures some of the ideas that formed the two-hour Align event. Rich and Robert talk about the big picture in locations on or close to the Strand Ley. Robert also interviews Martin South, artistic director of the Tower Theatre Company, about a curious coincidence pertaining to a little patch of land near Old Street.
The film was made by Phil O’Donnell with music by Rich Cochrane. The script was written by Robert and Rich.
We’re currently arranging dates and venues for future performances; the best way to be kept informed about all of our events is to sign up for the newsletter on the Big Ideas front page.
If you’re interested in booking Align for your venue or event see the production details or email Rich to start the ball rolling.
On 25 August 2010, Align was performed at the Museum of London in the City of London. It was billed as “Lay Lines In The Limelight” and was described as follows:
“Watch a performance of Align – a fast-paced and mesmerizing audio-visual essay on the secret landscape of London. Part presentation, part performance art, Align brings together psychogeographers Robert Kingham and Richard Cochrane as they explore themes of imperialism, exploitation, prehistory and myth within the context of ancient lay lines.”
Author and journalist Mark Vernon wrote this very apt account of the performance.
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On 22 January 2010, Align was performed at Bridewell Theatre in the City of London. The theatre is tucked behind Wren’s church of St Bride at the Eastern end of Fleet Street. The site was chosen in part for having historical connections with several of the subjects of Align.
The performance sold out — with a queue for returns — and received an insightful review from The Londonist.
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| Bride Lane | Fleet Street | London | EC4Y 8EQ |
| Tel: 020 7353 3331 | www.bridewelltheatre.org |
On 7th and 14th July 2009 Robert and Rich gave the first performances of Align to packed houses in the Talbot Room of the seventeenth century George Inn near London Bridge.
We also received some kind feedback from many folks who were present, which you can see here [PDF] illustrated with photographs by audience-member Rob Adey.
For several years I have been leading Londoners on arcane historical pub crawls, performing texts by others which convey a strong sense of place. Align gives me the opportunity to tell some stories in my own words, and go deeper into some intriguing themes: of ancient continuities; and of that subconscious relationship we have with our cities, which some have named psychogeography.
At the same time I tell a story which is about the countryside, and concerns the curious concept of ley lines. Some have dismissed these as fantastical. Others have embellished them with further mysteries. We want to immerse you in words and images, and the mesmerising soundtrack that Rich has sewn together.
The Line in question is in fact a centre around which our multifarious preoccupations have been allowed to cluster: modernity and prehistory, geography and architecture, literature and music, anthropology and philosophy, culture and language. We’re interested in the kinds of stories we tell about the world we’re in and our place in it.
It’s a shamanic journey into the depths of London via Wiltshire, Australia, Wales and Peru by means of anecdote, detail and confusion, in the company of some very peculiar music. We hope you find it both immersive and thought-provoking, like a bubble bath containing an alligator.
On March 9th 2009 Robert and Rich walked the Strand Ley — as far as is possible — in preparation for the first performances of Align. Of course the city prevents following or even perceiving the line as a straight line, but there’s really no other way to pick up some details of place besides walking a route like this, slowly, on foot.
They were joined by Alasdair Mackenzie, some of whose photographs are featured in the performance and elsewhere on this site. You can see Alasdair’s complete Flickr photoset here.