Gideon Reeling

7&7is49 A Retrospective

Client
Beggars Group

AN EPIC IMMERSIVE PARTY AND RETROSPECTIVE

The incomparable Beggars tasked us with making 4 (HUGE) floors of Immersive show… party…. & retrospective, rolled into one

“an iconic party  Definitely one for the ages”.
“I’d like to live through it agai ! ...a brilliant collaboration, life will seem empty without you all”

A party for 2000 guests.
a mix of open spaces and enveloping environments, other worlds and shared recollections 
We created everything from concept to delivery- from location to music curation front of house to artist liason, to food service and everything in between.
Guests experienced the depth and breadth of Beggar’s History glimpses of all the different eras that the organisation has inhabited and defined, key moments mashed up into physical spaces or transformed into performances or twisted into clues and brainteasers.

The evening was littered with unexpected journeys and musical discoveries each imbued with  the essence of the Group and the thread that’s continued from Day 1 - independence, rawness, creativity, change-making.

With full access to the mind- boggling Beggars Arkive: sifting through a 50 year weight of ground-breaking imagery, seminal sounds, stories & brilliant faces  was a gift of a process that took up the best part of 2 years.

We’re really proud to have made this retrospective for such truly nice, truly talented people and their most special friends, artists and collaborators from across all those years,

And WE got to make it with some of OUR most special friends and artists and collaborators across the years, and some new ones. A hugely talented team.

The feedback has been humbling:
“a perfect reflection of the spirit Beggars has nurtured over the past 49 years”
“like stepping into a giant slice of music culture - an incredible sensory experience”
“i don't think i've experienced anything like that before, it was truly special & unique”

Photos by Chris Lopez and Rob Jones

Beggars have an impeccable history of championing independent music. The world’s largest group of independent record labels (there have been over 40 across their history) 
It was a total ride & an honour to create this collaboration.

The group currently comprises of 5 titans of music @4ad  @xlrecordings @young_ @matadorrecords@roughtrade

Inception, Creation & Design: Kate Hargreaves, Lucy Hall, Kathryn McGarr and Julie Landau
Set Design: Julie Landau Jenna Jardine, Sound design: A Right Left Project 
Lighting: Ben Donoghue , Sound :Lit, Production: Entourage
AV: Ulf Pedersen and Adam Moffatt Seaman, Matthew Olden
Costumes :Susan Kulkarni, Kat Watt, Kate Hemslock, Harriet Eldridge, Kate Hargreaves, Kathryn McGarr
HMU Paul Rogers’ team
Choreography: Ali Goldsmith,  Sonya Cullingford, Folu Odimayu, Wen Hsin Lee, Silvia Mercuriali with McGarr and Hargreaves
FULL CREDITS on the film

I don't know if that was the best party I've ever been to, but it was certainly in the top one and a half "