Interview: Brett Bailey talks about creating CONSTELLATIONS at Spier

CONSTELLATIONS is an immersive, intimate artistic experience created by Brett Bailey for the wine farm Spier. This year, they celebrate their third iteration of this incredible concept and it's sure to be a hit. Brett took a moment to tell us more about what audiences can expect.

BWW: Congratulations on the third iteration of CONSTELLATIONS. I'd really love to know a bit more about the background of the concept and how it all came about.

Brett: CONSTELLATIONS arose in 2020 as a response to the pandemic, which laid waste to so many of the cultural events that nourish us and to the livelihoods of performing artists. I wanted to create something special that would bring people together again, to attend live performance, and to be in nature.

I am fortunate to live at Spier, and during lockdown I was able to roam the farm. Gradually the concept arose to set up a series of routes on the wooded banks of the Eerste Rivier, each connecting a sequence of small campfires hosted by performance artists, musicians, poets and storytellers. Small groups of spectators would rotate amongst the fire sites, enjoying short, intimate and diverse cultural encounters. And artists could make some much-needed cash.

There is something magical, even ritualistic, about sitting around a fire at night, in nature, within a circle of people, watching the flames, listening ... it connects us across millennia to our primal ancestors. Stories are told, memories are shared. We reflect on the vastness of time and space that enfolds us. We return to the mundane world with our souls enriched and our imaginations expanded.

During both 2020 and 2021, Constellations presented 27 different artists.

BWW: You call the performance artists the Guardians. Where did this title come from?

Brett: Last year, performances took place around small campfires. Fire is something sacred and a fire burning in a dark night could symbolise beacons of hope, of safety or enlightenment in dark times. The artists hosting the fires are like Guardians of the cultural flame. (Just a note that this year we are using lanterns- like we did in Japan - as a safety precaution in the wilderness area, which is different to last year's location.)

BWW: This year, the performers are all women. It's mentioned in the press release that this was a deliberate choice for 2022.

Brett: It feels right to me to orientate the 2022 production around women in their power: it brings to mind the female revellers of Dionysian celebrations in ancient Greece, and the Yoruba priestess cults of the sacred groves of Nigeria. Collectively, this company of talented, diverse and interesting women, will give spectators something very special.

The Guardians this year include performance artists Nico Athene, Rehane Abrahams, Lorin Sookool and Mandri Sutherland; Flamenco dancer Ché Adams; singer-musicians Zimbini Makwethu, Ncebakazi Mnukwana, California Janson and Luh'ra.

BWW: You are also the performing arts director at Spier - what does this entail? What else do you get to do for the wine farm?

Brett: Barbara Mathers and I have a performing arts company called Third World Bunfight. We have been contracted to run the performing arts program at Spier. Our focus is on creating space for diverse, talented and interesting artists. It is common knowledge that the performing arts landscape in South Africa is in a sorry state. We want to establish Spier as a place where performing artists, musicians etc. can present work of quality, not simply 'entertainment'.

We invited 7 local musicians to curate 3-hour long Spotify playlists, which have become the soundtracks of the multiple venues at Spier. We run an annual event called 'Talking Heads', in which we invite dozens of the Cape's most interesting minds to engage in intimate discussions with the public. In December, we are presenting 'A Spier Summer Night's Dream' - a magical outdoor performance for young and old alike; and - in late summer - a theatrical harvest event: 'The Harvest of the Arts'. We are also ensuring that the musical acts which feature on the farm are a cut above the ordinary, and somewhat out of the mainstream. We want Spier to be a place where people gather to experience something unique.

More about CONSTELLATIONS:

Spier, in association with Third World Bunfight, presents the third iteration of CONSTELLATIONS which will run from 4 to 19 November, 2022. Visitors can expect a series of intimate, unusual performances set in the wilderness during the mysterious 'liminal' period from dusk to darkness.

Small groups of spectators are guided into the twilight on one of two routes along the banks of the Eerste Rivier. Each route links four beautiful sites in glades amongst the trees, each hosted by a 'Guardian': a performance artist, a dancer, a musician, a storyteller... Spectators spend 20 minutes at each of the four sites on their route: four intense bursts of colour, sound and movement in gorgeous settings.

CONSTELLATIONS runs at Spier on Fridays and Saturdays from 4 to 19 November 2022 at 18h30 with arrival at 18h00. Tickets start at R200 per person and include a glass of Spier wine on arrival. For more info about the picnics please visit the Spier website. Advance booking is required and tickets are available via Webtickets.

PG: No under 12's.

Please note there is a twenty minute walk through the farm along uneven ground to the first stop so please remember to wear walking shoes and dress warmly.

A 15% accommodation discount at the Spier Hotel is also available to ticket holders who can claim the offer by booking online with the code CONSTELLATIONS. Located only 40 minutes outside of Cape Town, Spier, one of Stellenbosch's oldest wine farms, is the ideal winelands getaway destination with a host of leisure activities, pursuits and wholesome family experiences set against the backdrop of a unique historic werf and vineyards tended with a contemporary farming sensibility that places the earth and people first.

Photo credit: Victor Sguassero

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