In an Australian first, a 2km chain of more than 7000 giant dominoes will snake through the city and bring Melbourne to a stand-still for one day on Saturday 6 February 2016.
Arts Centre Melbourne’s Dominoes arts project will see thousands of breezeblocks winding along paths and laneways, through buildings, squares and promenades linking the city’s diverse communities in a symbolic as well as physical chain of cause and effect. The interactive spectacle is the third project in the Betty Amsden Participation Program and the work of internationally renowned UK performance company, Station House Opera.
An Australian premiere, the Melbourne event is the first time Dominoes has been presented outside of Europe after ‘runs’ in more than 10 European cities including Copenhagen, Marseille, Helsinki and Ljubljana. Conceived and directed by UK-based Station House Opera, Dominoes was first created as a celebration to link the five “host boroughs” for the London Olympics Arts Festival.
Dominoes takes as its starting point the simplest of ideas – a line of dominoes – and will transform the rhythm of the city for one special day. Thousands of breezeblocks are used to create a moving sculpture, which runs through the city, unfolding over the course of the day. Occasionally disappearing from sight and then resurfacing, sometimes pausing for sculptural performances, the line of dominoes will thread its way through historic and everyday parts of Melbourne.
To make an extraordinary event like this, Arts Centre Melbourne needs literally hundreds of volunteers to help build the 2km line of dominoes with more than 7000 breezeblocks. Volunteering involves building the line of dominoes, guarding the line and providing information to the public.
To extend the project to other parts of Melbourne’s extensive community, Station House Opera and Arts Centre Melbourne film teams will capture a series of small domino runs in locations across Melbourne’s suburbs. The footage will be incorporated into a film of the large-scale Dominoes fall that will be available shortly after the event.
The mini-falls will be set up in diverse locations across Melbourne’s suburbs including the bay, community housing and community centres, suburban streets, houses, sports facilities, a community kitchen, children’s playground, community garden, eateries and public gathering places.
The Domino set up across the city commences from 1.00pm on Saturday 6 February. The Domino Fall will start from 5.00pm at Melbourne Town Hall, taking approximately 25 minutes to reach Arts Centre Melbourne.
For more information, and a map detailing the route, visit: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au for details.
Image: Dominoes fall in Marseille – photo by Adrien Bargin