EIF 2017: Bloom details revealed

Bloom is the latest EIF opener from projection-mapping experts 59 Productions, who created the Harmonium Project at the Usher Hall in 2015, and last year's Deep Time event which paired visuals projected onto Edinburgh Castle with a soundtrack by Mogwai. Bloom charts the transformation of Edinburgh, from the darkness and division of the post-war years to the colour and vibrancy of its festival season, with a newly commissioned musical score from composer Nick Powell.

The buildings around St Andrew Square will be mapped with a set of immersive projections celebrating "the architechtural beauty of the New Town, Edinburgh’s rich cultural heritage and the technological innovation for which the city is renowned", promising "an immersive environment of colour, texture, sounds and sensations". Bloom takes place on 4 & 5 August, with the 20-minute piece running on a loop from 10pm til midnight each evening. As in previous years, free tickets will be made available via the International Festival website, but those without tickets will also be admitted from 10.30pm each evening.

Bloom director and 59 Productions founder Leo Warner said: "Following two wonderful years working with Fergus and his team at the International Festival to create increasingly ambitious and engaging opening events, we faced a challenge in conceiving a new piece befitting the significance of this anniversary year. We decided to place audiences inside the event, encompassing them within nearly half a linear kilometre of projection-mapped architecture and bespoke lighting fixtures, and use music, sound and light to tell a story celebrating the 70 year history of the International Festival and the associated Edinburgh festivals, and the immesurable impact that it has had on the cultural world."

EIF director Fergus Linehan said: "Since 1947 the International Festival has welcomed the world to Edinburgh, creating an electric atmosphere in this city which has radiated back out across the globe. That energy has transformed Edinburgh and sparked not only the development of the Festival City we know today, but the creation of countless other festivals around the world."

Bloom takes place at St Andrew Sq, Edinburgh on 4 & 5 Aug from 10pm to midnight. Free tickets for the event will be available on 3 July via the EIF website; non-ticket holders will be admitted from 10.30pm. Edinburgh International Festival 2017 runs from 4 to 28 Aug.