Caught Hold of Nothing offers a glimpse into a performance work in progress by contemporary dancer and violinist, Magnus Westwell. In this intimate duet, created in collaboration with Oceane Robin, Westwell plays live strings to exhaustion over pre-recorded and looped organ and piano. Inspired by John Glenday’s poem Vitruvian Man, the work explores repetition, decay, and transformation. Music and movement break down and rebuild in tandem, leading to a vulnerable, cathartic, and deeply embodied experience that invites audiences into the liminal space of experimental interdisciplinary performance. The performance will begin the festival’s opening night and launch party. It leads on to a bold late-night celebration in collaboration with Cardion London, headlined by rapper and poet Mykki Blanco. Over the past decade, Blanco has evolved from a video-art persona into a pioneering voice in music, blending noise, club, and trap while challenging the boundaries of hip-hop and its dominant narratives. Entering a new chapter, their work continues to push sound and identity into unexpected territory. Taking over the Biscuit Factory late into the night, the opening party will also see DJ sets from AMR, a Syrian-Scottish multidisciplinary artist and curator of POC-focused events in Scotland, and Sweet Philly, a Dublin-born, Edinburgh-based producer and DJ, and self-styled ‘Queer Club Demon’. An immersive start to the festival, the opening night brings together performance, club culture, and collective experience, setting the tone for a programme defined by bold ideas and boundary-breaking creativity. Event Info • This event is 18+. Venue security may check IDs on entry, and may turn away anyone who can’t provide valid ID. • This event is mostly standing, with limited seating available on request. If you need a particular kind or placement of seat, please let us know in the “Access Needs” box below. • Tickets to this event include a free drink on arrival from festival partner Whitebox. • This event will include loud sounds and flashing lights. Ear defenders and ear plugs will be available for anyone who needs them.

Description supplied by the event organiser.