Arcadia 2024

At the heart of the installation was an ex-Royal Navy helicopter that had served in the Falklands conflict. Bertie Cole (co-founder and Technical Ditector), Pip Rush (creative Director) and the Arcadia team transformed this decommissioned military aircraft into the Dragonfly, symbolizing the reimagining of tools of war into instruments of art and celebration. This repurposing aligns with Arcadia’s reputation for creating unique, large-scale installations that often incorporate industrial and military equipment, adding layers of meaning to the performance

The Dragonfly stage narrated the tale of the Warraloo, an ancient Aboriginal creation story. This narrative was intricately woven into the performance, with the dragonfly embodying the spirit of the Warraloo, a mythical being responsible for shaping the landscape and creating water sources. The use of a former military aircraft to tell this ancient story created a powerful juxtaposition of past and present, war and peace, destruction and creation.