2017 House Programs Tree of Codes | Page 4

Melbourne Festival artistic director Jonathan Holloway was in the audience the week that Tree of Codes enjoyed its world premiere at the 2015 Manchester International Festival. When the performance came to a triumphant close, every member of the audience leapt to their feet to applaud. Every member but one: Holloway, who was typing on the phone. Tree of Codes isn’t merely a remarkable work in its own right, but is one of the rare events that will likely go on to influence local artists for years, perhaps decades to come. “The person next to me—a septuagenarian from Wythenshawe—asked me why I wasn’t standing, didn’t I like it? I said, “I loved it, I’m booking it”. By the end of the evening we’d all but committed to bringing this incredible work to Melbourne.” Holloway doesn’t find it hard to describe the initial reaction to the production: “I found the work to be utterly all-consuming, almost overwhelming, a joyous onslaught of music, imagery and dance.” If Tree of Codes could only be the result of three imaginations working in concert, bringing it to Melbourne required just as much collaboration at the local level. Melbourne Festival and Arts Centre Melbourne have always had a close relationship, but here their partnering was taken to the next level. “This is exactly the type of work that can only be done when two major organisations come together,” says Holloway. Arts Centre Melbourne CEO Claire Spencer agrees. “Arts Centre Melbourne has always played a central role in helping the Festival present its programs and the diversity of its spaces means that our role (to be the perfect host) enriches both our organisations. I know that international artists always enjoy working on our stages and for many of them through the Festival period it is their first time to experience Australia and our rich cultural environment. The collaboration with the Festival provides a double benefit for audiences as we look to enrich their lives with great artists and new and engaging performances of the highest quality.” Spencer describes the union of creative forces behind the creation of Tree of Codes as a kind of ‘alchemy’ that extends to the viewer themselves: “It’s all about the alchemy which sees individual creative minds combine forces and create a performance that seamlessly melds each of their talents—in turn each amplifying the other. At its best, you can see the connection with the various components on the stage, the joy of the artists as they move through the work, but simultaneously they connect with the audience and bring them along on the journey. The connection between artists and between artists and audiences is something that interests us very much.” Holloway says that the challenge of bringing Tree of Codes is partly due to the fact that from a production perspective, it’s one of the largest It’s that combination of artforms—the physical, the visual and the sonic—that gives Tree of Codes its impact. The production is an unprecedented colla