Haunting electro-acoustic sound worlds, delicate choreography and live visuals

As their habitats deteriorate, butterflies are losing their colour. How do we appreciate something in a time of loss?

Part performance, part reflection, Papillons invites us into a world where artists respond to music through movement and composition, visual art and conversation.

The boundary-pushing Manchester Collective collaborate with dance-theatre company Thick & Tight and multimedia artist CHAINES for this disarmingly intimate performance.

At its heart is Kaija Saariaho’s Sept Papillons (Seven Butterflies) – an exquisitely brittle and luminous set of seven miniatures for solo cello performed by Laura van der Heijden, one of the leading cellists of her generation.

Weaving haunting electro-acoustic sound worlds, delicate choreography and live visuals together with personal reflections, Papillons celebrates the power of subjectivity and creativity within each of us.

Performance is captioned and partially audio described and will be followed by a Q&A with the artists.