The Resistance Stage at Ultra this year was home once again to The Arcadia Spectacular, known by most as “Arcadia”, it's a performance art collective that combine elements of sculpture, architecture, recycling, pyrotechnics, lighting, circus and music into large scale performance and dance spaces. Best known for their 50-tonne “Spider”, they rework ex military machinery and industrial components into installations and 360 degree arenas, following a transformational and environmental ethos.
The Spider is a 360 degree structure built from recycled materials. Its ‘legs’ are Customs and Excise scanning units, its ‘eyes’ are spy plane engines, its ‘claws’ are log grabbers, its ‘body’ is built from helicopter tails and its DJ booth from jet engine blades. The DJ booth is suspended in the “head” of the spider as patrons dance below. The Spider has several built in flame cannons, able to shoot 50 foot flames and is rigged across its ‘body’ with lights and lasers. Its ‘arms’ fire jets of C02, it is often given a ‘skin’ by video mapping and it is surrounded by a 360 degree ‘soundfield’ of PA speakers, often in a circle designated by flaming Victorian lampposts.
The landing show incorporates every element this beast has to offer plus some heavy dubstep to go along with it. For many who see this live, it is the most memorable part of their weekend. Relive it below.
