“Art, since the dawn of time, has had this rebellious spirit, so we want to follow in those footsteps.”

In a culture compelled by constant productivity and self-optimisation, The Old Market is offering a space to slow down, as Brighton Festival marks its 60th anniversary.

Quietly nestled among the seaside streets of Hove lies The Old Market, a 500-capacity venue known for its eclectic programming of music, art and theatre. Eager to experiment, and afforded a freedom that many grassroots venues lack access to, the team’s newest venture unfolds through a carefully curated season of extended reality (XR) live shows, alongside morning sound baths, one-off Q&As, music and film.

Launching on 2 May with a club night soundtracked by Brighton-based electronic DJ Changing Currents, the series offers audiences a space to pause amidst the chaos of everyday life. Titled, Of Land, Sea and Sky, the three-week programme brings together innovative, sensory and immersive experiences that celebrate our connection to nature while seeking to educate, inform and restore.

Events will take place within TOM’s state-of-the-art Box Room, a space made up of four walls, eight high-spec Fuji cameras and visual mapping to create moving, responsive visuals that wrap around the room. Four key live shows will run from 2-26 May, opening with Sounds of the Ocean, an immersive 360 experience highlighting the deteriorating health of our seas, alongside Seeds of Hope, an evening of talks from individuals working across a range of environmental initiatives.

The creation of the series was, in itself, an ode to nature, echoing the simple act of planting a seed and nurturing it into something meaningful. What began as a small, almost fleeting idea developed organically through conversations with the local community and Brighton Festival.

The series draws on Brighton’s strong community values and enduring connection with its environment, offering a space to celebrate qualities that are becoming increasingly scarce in a fragmented society.

Ahead of the launch, we caught up with TOM’s Head of Marketing, Mark Gordon, to investigate the rationale behind the series, the significance of integrating new technology into modern art forms, and their responsibility as an independent venue to foster a sense of community.

Thanks for taking time to speak with us, this series sounds really intriguing. What can audiences expect from Of Land, Sea and Sky?

The main thing for us with this series is to educate and inspire the local community to appreciate what’s around us, while providing an alternative third space for people to come together. Each of the shows has a different audience, so there’s something for everyone.

We want people to ground themselves and reconnect, we have very few chances to slow down and breathe. If it inspires people to go out into nature afterwards, that’s fantastic. That’s for us, mission accomplished.

How did the series come together with Brighton Festival?

It came together quite organically. We had an initial conversation with the chief executive, Lucy Davies, that went really well, and after a bit of back and forth, the partnership just naturally formed from there.

In terms of the programme, we had a couple of key shows we knew we wanted to build around, Sounds of the Ocean and TAKKUKK were the main anchors. Then everything else started to fall into place through the community.

Seeds of Hope, for example, brings in local speakers, and Changing Currents is a Brighton-based DJ. We’ve also got work coming out of our TOMTech artist development programme, so it’s been a continuation of those relationships as well.

Once we started having those conversations, people kept coming back to us with ideas and wanting to be part of it. It all came together in a really natural way.

Can you tell us more about the events?

There are four key live shows running from 2-26 May. Kicking off with Sounds of the Ocean, an award-winning, family-friendly exhibition featuring 360 visuals of the underwater environment, designed to raise awareness around the health of our seas.

We’ve also added a series of morning sessions - think bean bags, nature sounds, visuals, like a back-to-earth experience. Another key event is Seeds of Hope, an evening of short speeches from individuals working across different areas of environmental action, such as Forests Without Frontiers and Sussex Bay, among others.

The aim across all of it is to inspire people to get more involved with what’s happening in nature locally. And it will all end with a big club night as well.

What’s the Box Room?

The Box Room came out of our in-house artist development programme, TOMTech, when we were exploring ways to bridge traditional art forms with new technology. Instead of a conventional stage setup, we wanted something more inclusive to break down the barrier between performer and audience. Asking ourselves, how do we take things beyond the fourth wall, proscenium arch theatre?

We first worked with an artist called Halina Rice on a show called New Worlds, and from there we realised we might be onto something. Then we fell into a conversation with Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) who used the space to test visuals for an arena tour. That really proved what the Box Room could do. The long term plan is to introduce sound elements as well, we’re currently exploring that.

As an indie venue, we're doing everything off our own backs, we don't have any capital funding or anything like that. We just do everything on a wing and a prayer like most other grassroots venues!

Do you feel a responsibility, as an arts venue, to experiment with new technologies?

Definitely, there’s an expectation to keep up and move with the times. For us, the priority is being part of the community, so it comes back to inclusivity and making sure everyone feels involved, from artists to audiences to staff.

Live arts will keep evolving, so why not be part of that? The thing which gets lost as well with a lot of venues, is the ability to play. We don’t want to be the same as every other venue, we want to be unique. Brighton’s full of individuality, and it’s not about competition, it’s about complementing and supporting each other. We need an industry that should be playing and experimenting. Art, since the dawn of time, has had this rebellious spirit, so we want to follow in those footsteps.

Helen Jewell, Creative Director of The Old Market comments:

"Of Land, Sea and Sky feels like a really important moment for us at The Old Market and we are incredibly proud to be presenting it as part of Brighton Festival. Over the past few years, we have been exploring how immersive experiences can bring audiences closer not just to art, but to the world around us. This season uses our spaces to help reconnect people with the environments that shape our lives... the land beneath our feet, the sea that defines our coastline, and the skies above us.”

Check out the full Of Land, Sea and sky listings here.