Sonica Presents Robbie Thomson’s Ecstatic Arc

Three Weeks / Jasmine Faller


The ‘Ecstatic Arc’ is the perfect teaming of light and sound. At first the piece is a bit random, but slowly it escalates into a weirdly comical dubstep-type performance which appears to be enacted by the sculptures and the lights themselves. The Tesla coil which sits centre-stage emits its lightning to spectacular effect, and does remind one of a ‘Scrapheap Challenge’ attempt at a beatboxing dalek, which on its own is just brilliant. It is a little epilepsy-inducing and jumpy at the start, but as sculptures disappear with the absence of light, others are brought to life by it, and the whole thing becomes a sort of post-apocalyptic ‘Toy Story’ for adults. Brilliant, just brilliant.