Robert Dawson Scott
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So little do we know about the 15th-century Flemish painter Hieronymus Bosch that even what we think of as his name turns out to be wrong. Bosch is a shortened form of the name of the town he lived in.
That is one of the first things you learn from Alasdair Macrae, introducing himself as Bosch, in this intriguing “tableau vivant”, which invites you to revisit Bosch's most famous painting, the Garden of Earthly Delights. This great triptych, completed in 1503, is familiar enough from a million poster shops and trippy 1970s album covers. But among the other things we do not know is what the teeming symbolism of it might be. One of the many pleasures in this unobtrusively intelligent show is a video display that starts with just the blank panels of the picture and then flies in each individual element (lovingly cut out by some uncredited Photoshop drudge) and inserts them into their correct location in the frame. It is an eloquent way of reminding you just how much there is in it to wonder at.
What follows is more restrained, partly because, as its producers, the itinerant troubadours Mischief La-Bas and Ian Smith, their leader, make clear, the show is really a trailer for a much bigger outdoor extravaganza based around the painting, which they are seeking to produce next year. Even so, there is enough here to hope that they will secure the necessary backing.
After we have been fitted out with funnels on our heads, not unlike the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, we are invited to step aboard a crazy carousel fitted not with horses but with legendary creatures (I got the gryphon). As this turns, we are can step off into three-dimensional versions of the three panels.
In the Earthly Paradise, a Butoh Adam and Eve stalk each other on a perfect circle of white gravel. In the central Garden - you are given fruit on arrival - all manner of delights are on show and we are ushered by golden creatures into grottoes, where they place their hands over our ears, revealing hidden microphones that play droplets of sound and poetry.
In Hell, there are sundry inmates on which the audience can inflict a range of tortures. It was slightly alarming to see the vigour with which one's fellows set about the flagellator. All this accompanied by strange unearthly sounds and accomplished in Mischief La-Bas' trademark, playful style. Haunting, and not a little odd.
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