The music provided strong atmosphere. The live element of 1000 drumming drummers was a big factor. While technically more "storage drum" that purposefully acoustic drum, they served their purpose very well, creating volume, depth, energy and rhythm. With specially created electronic music works from High Contrast and Underworld and add in some relatively contemporary empahsis with Emile Sande and Wretch 32, even Dizzie Rascal. Overlay the some familiar nationally popular music (if historically heritage in flavour) from Mike Oldfield and David Bowie, U2 and the Pet Shop Boys and make some significant space for the London Symphony Orchestra, and there's real opportunity to eclectically connect. Even the visuals elements make reference to the rich music heritage, with the multi-coloured Beatles, used to define an era.And of course there were the lights - wonderfully large scale and at the same time intrinsically simple. A major component being the small matrix displays next to each of the seats. That provided a huge matrix of lights and therein the intrinsic simplicity, in that that matrix was really just like a large spreadsheet of controllable lights, or as pixels on a screen. The challenge then being the programming of that changing dynamic effect. Those matrix displays required 40 miles of cabling and 40 days of installation, plus all the programming of course, and before that, all of the design work too. And all of that cost and time for four 4 hours of display. That's the level of preparation, planning and design to create really dynamic and engaging lighting effects.
So that's two senses stimulated, sight and hearing. Substantive enough to warrant both an audio album and a DVD. But it did not stop there. There was also atmospheric aroma of cordite to accompany the Industrial Revolution element. The more each sense can be engaged, and more senses that can be engaged, then there's the greatest chance of there being a really encompassing emotional engagement. And while all that production can feel quite technical, the real magic is achieved creating that overall entertainment, and that's the real art.
