Penumbra... An Experimental Art Happening

About

An invitation to step into the unknown.

NooN Collective present a series of dreamlike encounters in sound, movement, installation and projection; exploring the shadow, mythology, geological time and our deep human quest for meaning from ancient to modern day oracles; the fates to technology and AI. The work has been inspired by the underground life of fungi and how mycelium navigate complex labyrinths to make connections in the dark.

Throughout human history, people have entered underworlds with trepidation and fascination, often seeking answers in the shadows of candlelit chambers and in the dark recesses of our subconscious. We enter with hope only to leave with new questions. Ancient Greeks went underground to consult the Oracle, rewarded by obscure answers. Cave walls were etched with early paintings of animals that flicker to life in candlelight, and later inscribed with the names of explorers, only to be slowly erased by calcite formations. Rev John McEnery kept unpublished, meticulous notes of his underground discoveries that confounded his sense of certainty and challenged his deepest faiths. We enter in the age of plastic and armed with the strange and unreliable certainties of our technologies. We too will be quietly erased in the giant slumber of cave blackness.

This experimental art happening takes you on a journey inviting you to slow down and listen deeply with all the senses. We follow in the path of water that has forged underground caverns in dialogue with rock for millenia. Human technologies, pick axes for our ambitions to conquer new realms, are no match for the slow certainty of water meeting mineral, to carve and shape spectacular underworlds for the imagination.

Let your mind wander amongst shadows, and your subconscious unfold a story of collective memory, myth, deep geological time and encounters with the more-than-human imprints embedded in complex strata of the underworlds obscure memory.

Access information

This extraordinary and intimate underground journey explores the chambers in Kents Cavern. You will travel by torchlight in a small group on a journey into underworlds. It will be dark. There will be unexpected noises and sudden bright lights and projections. Your journey is on uneven ground including steps and slopes. The ground and cave space has high humidity and in damp weather the ground can be slippy. You will be on your feet for approx 40 mins and seated for approx 30 mins. Not suitable for under 18s. We regret that due to the terrain being uneven and stepped, and in dim lighting, the experience is not suitable for people with mobility issues. The piece will be documented for sharing with online audiences from Nov 2025.

The cave has a consistent cool temperature so we recommend wearing warm layers including a coat. You may wish to bring a blanket for when you are seated (deck chair seating). Due to uneven surfaces please wear sensible shoes with a good grip. There are toilet facilities at the venue.

Credits

Devised and staged by NooN Collective
Visuals. Emilio Mula
Music composition and performance. Ric Byer
Soundscapes. Ric Byer, Emilio Mula, Arnont Nongyao
Movement devised and performed by. Willa Faulkner, Saskia Larcombe, Jessy Mackay, Clare Parker
Installations, staging and costume. Clare Parker

Produced by Filament Works CIC Natalie Palin, Clare Parker

With thanks to the team at Kents Cavern for their support throughout the devising, rehearsal and production of this work.

This performance is part of a series of public facing works evolving out of TAAHM: further details are available at www.taahm.art (launches Oct 2025).

This project is made possible through funding support from British Council International Collaboration Grant.