Spider World Tour
Pip Rush directed all creative and visionary elements of Arcadia’s iconic Spider stage and Landing Show that was hosted @ Glastonbury Festival.
By 2014 Pip and his team had reduced a touring operation to 50 people and the spider went on to star at 27 events world-wide. Locations included USA, Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, Australia, and China, with each event sporting a tailored performance and sell-out marketing campaign.
Metamorphosis Show
With a history of environmentally focused art, Pip raised funding from European green capital award and the UK Arts council to develop a new Spider show called Metamorphosis. The uplifting contemporary performance followed themes of transformation in nature, human behaviour and technology.
This not only resonated through the structure, hosting 50 tonnes of recycled and re-purposed machinery, but also in the development of a new flame system running from recycled vegetable oil, locality sourced from Bristol’s finest fish and chip shops.
Other Creations
Pip has designed several installations within Arcadia, and is also co-owner and creative director of Lords of Lightning, one of the worlds few Tesla coil performance companies.
Glastonbury Festival
Pip has been a core member of the Glastonbury Festival team since 2008, where he co-found and pioneered a radically unique experience at the age of 25, drawing crowds from 5,000 up to 50,000 capacity per night, in just five years.
Working with an ever-evolving team of young talented performers, technicians and makers, pip’s crew grew to 500 per event, and by 2012 he and his technical partner had created the iconic 50 tonne robotic Spider show (almost entirely from recycled military hardware) boasting unique special effects and aerial stunts never been seen before.
In 2019, Pip and his partner had recycled and erected a 150 tonne crane at the heart of the festival, forming the foundation of a new 360 degree aerial show set to role out over five years of development. Extensive plans for this performance exist but are yet to be realised.
Self Promoted Events
Bristol Queens Square & London Olympic Park
In 2015 and 2019 Pip co-directed 2 self-promoted and self-funded UK events, showcasing Metamorphosis. One in a Georgian Sq in central Bristol and the other in the Olympic park in London. Both events attracted nearly 30,000 paying customers with little support from headline talent.
Pip directed all creative aspects of new Arcadia branded installations and performances, as well as a sell-out marketing and PR campaign, reaching over 339 million people in 200+ media articles, including interviews on Sky News, Metro, Evening Standard, Mail Online, Daily Star, Daily Express, MTV, The Times, The Guardian, London Live, ITV London, Music Week, Sunday Times, BBC Radio 1 and The Mirror.
The Whadjuk Noongar Collaboration
Pip’s highlight of the 12 year run was collaboration in Perth with Wudjuk Nungar, In which they resurrected one of the oldest legends on the planet, encouraging thousands of young Australians to engage in an insightful culture, previously mis-understood in much of the western world.
See this short documentary to discover why this has been so impactful on Pip’s continued work.