After 13 years, Rider Spoke is returning to Australia. Created in a world before COVID, smartphones and TikTok, a lot has changed since Rider Spoke first took to the streets. In a new age, where social media is increasingly fractured and where we’ve become jaded about sharing our lives online, Rider Spoke is our renewed attempt to explore intimacy and find common ground in digital spaces.
In 2020, we redeveloped Rider Spoke as a response to COVID-19 and we’re excited to be bringing it back to new and familiar faces in Australia. It’s a work about intimacy through distance and anonymity. It’s an opportunity to say things into the night that might otherwise go unsaid. And there is a fascination in hearing what others have shared. As we re-emerge from private spaces into a shared world, we need forms of common experience. We need live performance and the presence of others. But we have to find it in new ways. We hope Rider Spoke can play a part in that process.
Rider Spoke will head to Adelaide Fringe Festival from Fri 18 Feb – Tue 22 February 2022 in partnership with South Australian Museum. Keep your eyes peeled as more venues will be released soon.
Tickets are now available for Adelaide Fringe Festival – book yours here.
Supported by the UK/Australia Season Patrons, the British Council and the Australian Government as part of the UK/Australia Season.
About Rider Spoke
Cycle through the streets, searching for the perfect place to hide a secret. Ride on and the voices of strangers will draw you to new and unknown places.
Rider Spoke invites you on a ride guided by a smartphone app with a narrator and a delicate score by Blanket. Think about the people in your life while you search for hiding places. Record messages and share them with strangers you will never meet. To cycle alone, in the evening, with no particular destination offers a rare freedom.
Rider Spoke premiered with a sold-out season at the Barbican in London and has since been shown in 20 cities worldwide.
Accessibility
We have tested Rider Spoke for use by audiences with diverse access needs. We welcome you to take part on your bicycle, wheelchair, mobility scooter, alternative cycle or on foot. We also offer some access technologies, suggested routes and additional assistance – including a free ticket for your carer or buddy – on request. Please contact Adelaide Fringe Box Office for more information.
Rider Spoke was first shown at the Barbican in London in October 2007 and has subsequently been presented in Adelaide, Athens, Brighton, Bristol, Budapest, Cambridge, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Falmouth, Kupio, Leeds, Linz, Liverpool, Madrid, Sydney and Terni.
Rider Spoke was developed in collaboration with the Mixed Reality Lab at University of Nottingham, Sony Net Services and the Fraunhofer Institute as part of the European research project IPerG (Integrated Project on Pervasive Gaming).
