OUTDOOR · SELF-GUIDED + LIVE
The Riddle.
A self-guided digital dance trail for outdoor spaces.
Built around Pæn — a mythical figure who leads audiences through puzzles, film and movement to reconnect minds and bodies with the world beyond the screen.
FORMAT
Outdoor trail + live walkabout
AVAILABLE
Day, weekend or festival run
DURATION
~90 min self-guided
TOURED
UK + international
(FITS, 2024)
01 | THE PREMISE
Bodies were stuck behind screens.
The Riddle was the way back out.
The Riddle was made during the pandemic — a creative response to bodies grown screen-bound and worlds shrunk to a small lit rectangle.
At its centre sits Pæn, a mythical figure who leads each audience member through the trail. Every step is a riddle to solve, a film to unlock, and a movement to learn — building, by the end, into a dance.
Mental health sits at the heart of the work. Each puzzle is a playful invitation to look outward and inward at once — to play, to move, and to notice.
"An amazing blend of being in your body, in space, exploring movement — but also engaging your brain in a treasure hunt."
PUBLIC PARTICIPANT
02 | THE FORM
THREE STEPS · ONE TRAIL · YOUR SPACE
Find a QR code.
Posters sit along the trail in your outdoor space. Each one a doorway to the next chapter of the story.
Solve the riddle.
A short film unlocks on the participant's phone. Pæn speaking directly, posing the next question.
Build a dance.
Each film teaches a movement. By the end of the trail, those movements join into a sequence — a dance entirely their own.
03 | FORMATS
TWO WAYS TO HOST · ONE PROJECT
Self-guided trail.
A durational outdoor installation played at each participant's own pace, at any time of day. Available across your festival weekend or for a full programme run — animating high streets, parks, town centres and festival sites.
per participant
or festival run
Live walkabout.
Pæn — the mythical figure of the trail — appears in person, engaging audiences directly. A natural opener for parades, programme launches and main-stage moments. Pairs beautifully with the self-guided trail.
performances
main-stage moments
04 | TOUR PACK
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO HOST IT
Packaged ready to go.
The Riddle ships as a complete tour pack.
You provide the space and the audience. We provide everything else.
Implementation guide & setup checklist
Step-by-step instructions for scoping your space, placing posters, and going live within a day.
Marketing pack & trailer
Copy, images, eNews content and a finished video trailer for socials, programme listings and press.
Behind-the-scenes & workshop ideas
Material to extend the experience locally — community workshops, school visits, fringe activity.
Print-ready poster artwork
QR posters in full brand, sized for outdoor display. Replace, weatherproof, reprint as needed.
Music files & access provisions
Composed score plus audio and written introductions for accessibility — built in, not added on.
05 | PROVENANCE
WHERE IT’S BEEN · WHO MADE IT
Made by.
Direction & choreography
John Darvell
Producer
Sarah Shead, SPIN Arts
Performance
Tom Davis Dunn
Writing
David Varela
Composition
John Chambers
Film
Focus Pull Ltd, Tim Bedingfield · Chris Harris
Costume
Ryan Dawson Laight
Brand & photography
BoneshakerJoe Armitage
Illustration
Into Doodles
Storyboard
Ben Qureshi
Presented at.
06 | BRING IT TO YOUR PLACE
Let's animate your space.
Festivals, town centres, high streets, parks. Wherever you'd like to bring people back to their bodies and back to the outdoors. We'd love to hear from you.