PLAY! Festival 2025

This visual experience presents a stark and manipulated video installation; a continuous observation of a solitary dinner table. The video captures the seemingly mundane, yet profoundly evocative, meal – the setting of the table, the stillness of the seated figures, the company of friends. This sustained visual narrative serves as the foundation for an exploration of isolation, a reflection on the quietude and separation experienced during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The accompanying soundscape is not a separate composition, but rather an auditory manifestation of the video itself. Every subtle movement, every transition in scene, is sonically translated creating an immersive atmosphere. This direct correlation between the visual and auditory aims to amplify the sense of stillness and solitude, allowing viewers to experience the scene not just visually, but also viscerally.

This installation is not intended as a dramatic performance, but as a space that invites viewers to observe the simplicity of a solitary meal; conveying a sense of profound separation. By stripping away any embellishment, the experience offers a space for reflection on the shared and individual experiences of a period defined by isolation during the Pandemic. It is a moment to pause, to listen, and consider the quiet weight of lockdowns.

The creative team

Composed and directed by Art Banymandhub. Co-Directed by Lloyd Edwards. 

Actors: Jessica Warlov - Self, Art Banymandhub - Self, Amy Parkinson - Self, Clarissa Emery - Self, Ray Campbell - Self, Guillem Michel - Self

Content warning

Please note that this event features video imagery taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, which some viewers may find distressing. The video content has been classified as Universal (U) age rating following guidelines from The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).

Car parking

When you arrive for a College event at our Egham campus, please park in car parks 12 or 4.

Car park 12 can be accessed by turning right as you enter the main College gates and is located next to the tennis courts. If this car park is full, please drive further onto our campus to car park 4, which can be accessed by turning left at the mini-roundabout behind the Students’ Union. We would advise that you bring the College map to campus with you and give yourself plenty of time to park.

Blue Badge holders can find designated parking spaces in Car park 1W, as well as between Gardeners Lodge and the Williams Annexe. You can find these locations by looking at our campus map opposite. If you require any assistance on arrival, please contact our premises team in advance of your visit by emailing: premisesadmin@royalholloway.ac.uk and they will be happy to help.

Please note that we operate an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system on certain parts of our campus, however if you are here for an organised event, parking is unrestricted for event guests in car parks 12, 4 or 14 (or display your blue badge permit if parking in a disabled bay). If you have any questions about parking, please email: premisesadmin@royalholloway.ac.uk