Crawley colleagues from the UK’s community bank, Metro Bank, joined Aura as volunteer guardians to travel through Crawley as part of her odyssey. Her tour was part of ‘Enliven: You’re Welcome,’ a season of outdoor performances and indoor creativity to celebrate the diversity of Crawley's residents and their welcoming nature. Created by Animated Objects Theatre Company and Inspired by Homer’s classic tales, five-metre tall puppet Aura is a young civilian survivor displaced by the Trojan wars.
Animated Objects Theatre Company is based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire and specialises in large scale events, outdoor theatre, giant artworks and performances involving professional artists, schools and the wider community.
Aura’s three-day tour included a series of activities such as live music, singing, dancing, poetry, DJ’ing and artwork presentation throughout the town centre.
“As a community bank, we’re so delighted to be part of such a beautiful moment in Crawley’s history,” says Abi Bowden, Metro Bank Crawley’s Local Director. “Aura was so inspiring and we really enjoyed the time we spent with her. This experience was one of a kind and I’m sure the memories will remain with us for a lifetime.”
Animated Objects’ Aura’s Odyssey was presented by Creative Crawley and funded by Crawley Town Centre BID, Arts Council England and Crawley Borough Council as part of Crawley new town’s 75th anniversary celebrations.
Metro Bank’s Crawley store is located at 25 Queens Square, Crawley RH10 1HA. The store is open Monday – Saturday: 8.30am - 6pm and Sunday: 11am - 5pm and opens personal and business accounts daily, with or without an appointment.