More than 27,000 free tickets are to be released for a spectacular opening event for this year's Edinburgh International Festival, which will display more than 350m years of Edinburgh history in eighteen minutes on the side of the city's famous castle.
The event, Deep Time, will display the geological history of Edinburgh's Castle Rock in a innovative and large-scale public show which will be the first of three to be newly sponsored by Standard Life.
The award winning 59 Productions, which also masterminded last year's opening event The Harmonium Project, which took place outside and on the Usher Hall, are also to present the next three opening events for the festival.
The public will be able to see the show from the NCP car park on Castle Terrace, and the road behind it looking up to the rock, the streets nearby, and near the roundabout at the bottom of Johnston Terrace.
The financial numbers involved in the new sponsorship deal were not revealed by Fergus Linehan, artistic director of the festival (EIF) but he said such large free public events would be "very, very difficult" to achieve without such backing.
Mr Linehan said that future opening events would not necessarily be projections onto iconic sites such as the castle rock and may take other forms, but said: "Last year the Usher Hall was amazing but it wasn't recognisable internationally: this is an iconic site."
Deep Time is a free, outdoor artwork which will see the western façade of Edinburgh Castle and Castle Rock used as the canvas for digitally animated projections inspired by the city’s past in "deep time".
The story of the rock will begin when it was under the sea - and near the world's equator.
It is set to a specially compiled soundtrack made from several tracks by Scottish rock band Mogwai, and will involve 44 projectors beaming images onto the side of the rock - last year's event involved 12 projectors displaying dazzling images onto the side of the Usher Hall.
The event takes place on Sunday 7 August, at 10.30pm and can be viewed from a specially created arena on Castle Terrace.
Free tickets for the event arena are available from the International Festival from Monday 11 July.
Two tickets only are available to each person to asks for tickets.
A second release of free tickets will be made available on Monday 1 August, with a limited release of final tickets the day before the event on Saturday 6 August.
Deep Time charts millions of years of Edinburgh history, uncovering the geology of a landscape formed by volcanic activity, exploring the intellectual legacy of the city – in particular the work of renowned Edinburgh scientist and thinker James Hutton – and celebrating the people who live and work in the city.
The show will display the origins of the rock, a volcano, and 3D animation and other techniques will see the rock once again bursting with lava.
James Hutton's science, in a collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, will feature, as will his portrait, which will become a Mount Rushmore-style image on the side of the rock.
Leo Warner, creative Director of 59 Productions and director of Deep Time said: "We are delighted to be returning to Edinburgh as newly-appointed Artistic Associates of the International Festival and are excited by the creative possibilities enabled by this new partnership with Standard Life.
"Deep Time gives us an opportunity to build on the success of The Harmonium Project and to create a spectacular event that is more deeply connected to the story of the city.
"Long-term partnerships like these allow us as artists to take bold creative decisions that advance our understanding of theatricality, spectacle and new technology, so we can continue to inspire and surprise our audiences".
Keith Skeoch, chief executive of Standard Life, said: "We are delighted to be supporting the Edinburgh International Festival in our sponsorship of this exciting and very unique Opening Event.
"This exciting highly visual and visceral event is another great example of innovative and creative work which will be enjoyed by the live audience and millions of others through the power of social media and online."
Mr Linehan added: "We’re thrilled to welcome on board such a dynamic sponsor for our Opening Event."
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