Floating Castle transforms anti-corona restrictions into art

The festival's programme manager Matija Solce has said in a recent interview with the STA that love of art, creating and making sense of parallel realities, is within all of us, however art also faces major challenges today.

Tackling those challenges head-on, Floating Castle aims to make lemonade out of coronavirus lemons by deeming restrictions a stepping stone for performative art.

Stewards monitoring adherence to physical distancing rules and showing the way to the visitors will be dressed as grandmothers or shepherds. Moreover, almost 20 audio-visual installations will create an atmosphere of a magical labyrinth spanning a square kilometre of the 13th century castle's park.

Large stages will be intended for more subdued performances, whereas energetic bands will perform on floats. There will be a lot of intimate performances, designed for only a handful of spectators, which will make the interaction between the performer and audience more intense.

The spectator being a part of the show is the main purpose of art, said Solce, adding that the festival is an alternative to the current situation when people are crammed into the cities whereas concerts and theatre are passively awaiting their end.

This year's festival will feature some 30 events in two days, including street theatre, experimental music and folk music performances.

Visitors will be invited to create a mask resembling those worn by plague doctors before entering the festival's world, based on the 1991 best-selling novel Sophie's World by Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder.

The tickets are available only during pre-sale to monitor the number of visitors.