An interactive performance installation shown in tandem with Laura Bowler’s transatlantic commission Distance.

Co-commissioned by Cheltenham Music Festival and Spitalfields Festival, Vortices introduced some of the key ideas that underpin Distance - performed live by Juliet Fraser in the UK and Talea Ensemble in New York.

The installation mixed a projected animated film with audio interviews exploring the complex ethics of modern air travel. The audience was asked to actively consider their own relationship with flight by interacting in real time via their mobiles, with their aggregated answers shown on the projector.

Shown at Rich Mix, London and the Parabola Arts Centre, Cheltenham, the commission made the concert experience active rather than passive, engaging festival audiences with one of the most pressing issues of our time.