Tetris and Pac Man: Wandsworth council invites you to become Pac-Man

Have you ever played a computer game for so long you felt like you were in it? Well now you can really be in one, without the square eyes.

Wandsworth council is inviting audiences to become Pac-Man or build Tetris walls, and to make obscure global statistics tangible through rice at The Mail Centre Takeover in a disused Royal Mail depot in Nine Elms.

The Actual Reality Arcade is a life-sized interactive zone inspired by 10 classic arcade games where you play for real.

Dodge barrels and lasers, build Tetris walls, shoot aliens and become Pac-Man.

Designed by Matthew Harrison, it has toured to over 60 festivals in the UK and abroad and is physical fun for all ages.

Matthew is a multi-disciplinary artist creating work that combines traditional hands-on techniques with modern technology.

Over the past 15 years, he has worked with people of all ages in a variety of spaces, including prisons, museums, schools and festivals.

Using several tonnes of rice, Of All The People In All The World by theatre company Stan’s Cafe makes otherwise obscure global statistics tangible, offering a grain of truth about our planet: every grain of rice represents someone, somewhere.

For the 2020 edition in Nine Elms, in acknowledgement of the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower sailing and in response to the venue’s proximity to the US Embassy, Stan’s Cafe will feature statistics that shed light on the relationship between the US and the UK, using 6.7 tonnes of rice to represent the combined populations of the two countries.

Councillor Steffi Sutters, Wandsworth council cabinet member for community services and open spaces said: “Nine Elms is emerging as one of London’s new and exciting cultural hubs, so we were delighted to take this opportunity to open up a ‘hidden space’ for our next arts events.

“Bring the family or pop in one evening after work to have fun and see something new, whilst also getting a rare glimpse inside the former Royal
Mail warehouse before it makes way for development in this fast-growing part of our borough.”

Address: Former Royal Mail Delivery Office, Malthouse Road (off Ponton Road), Nine Elms SW8 5DD

Start date: 15th January 2020
End date: 26th January 2020
Open from 10:00 to 18:00