Wiltshire Creative has commissioned and created a new audio-visual experience that opens up Wiltshire’s forgotten village of Imber.
Imber: You Walk Through will premiere at the 2019 Salisbury International Arts Festival in a pop-up city centre venue in Salisbury from 5th to 8th June.
The village of Imber in Wiltshire is seven miles from any town. An occupied village until 1943, now a British Army/MoD close combat fighting training ground, Imber is open to the public for just a limited number of days each year.
With Imber: You Walk Through, Wiltshire Creative is creating a unique opportunity to encounter Salisbury Plain’s most intriguing site in a new and exciting way.
Directed by Wiltshire Creative Associate Director Jo Newman, the immersive audio experience will combine film captured and created by Rachel Bunce; spoken word written and performed by Francesca Millican Slater; original composition and sound design by Helen Skiera; and 3D architectural rendering of the original village from Chris Bayly. All enabling audiences to experience the stories, history, wildlife, sights and sounds of Imber past and present.
Imber: You Walk Through runs at various times from Wednesday 5 to Saturday 8 June. Tickets are on sale now and can be booked by calling Ticket Sales on 01722 320333 or by visiting www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk.
Wiltshire Creative Associate Director Jo Newman said: “I’ve been wanting to make this project ever since I first visited Imber four years ago - it’s such an atmospheric place and a real collision of worlds. Imber is close to many people’s hearts - its legacy has been kept alive through the passion of a few individuals, an important part of Wiltshire’s history and an actively occupied training ground highly valued by the MoD - serving personnel from all over the world come to train on this site. It’s really exciting to be working with an incredible team of creatives across disciplines and art forms to fully open up the stories of this place, past and present, taking a long view and exploring the changing landscape of our county over time.”
Lt Col Stewart Andrews, DIO’s Senior Training Safety Officer said: “Working with Wiltshire Creative to bring Imber village to life has offered an ideal opportunity for the MoD to engage with the local community and promote safe and legal public use of the Salisbury Plain Training Area.
“Imber village continues to play an important role in providing our armed forces with the training they need to prepare for operations all over the world. The site is an excellent example of the training facilities that DIO delivers and maintains to ensure our armed forces can live, work and train.”
The Friends of St Giles, in conjunction with the Churches Conservation Trust, organises the opening of Imber church on the limited number of public access days granted by the Ministry of Defence. Imber: You Walk Through is supported by The Friends of St Giles.