Watch: A latex pig from Tokyo and operatic cow from Zurich open the 25th Fierce Festival in Birmingham

Birmingham’s internationally renowned festival Fierce! is returning to the city this year. It’s set to be the biggest one yet celebrating its 25th year. BirminghamWorld visited Birmingham Symphony Hall where one of its most eye-catching spectacles is set to be revealed.

This undeniably outlandish display is certainly one which sets the tone for the long running festival here in the city. Since its inception in 1997, the festival has brought many daring exhibitions to Birmingham, offering a no holds barred platform for a range of artists. So what exactly is the ethos of this iconic annual live arts festival?

Soya the Cow, performance artist, says: “Behind me is a big work of art by Cyborg, a Japanese artist who makes these gigantic latex sculptures. My perspective is a bit different. I’m a vegan drag cow. So for me this obviously reminds me of all the 10 million of pigs in the UK which never seen sunlight and are killed every year. “

”It’s amazing that at Fierce Festival this year there’s many different works that question our relationship with other animals. Maybe I’m the most radical in my point of view, others are maybe more radical in the aesthetics.”

Aaron Wright, Creative Director, says: “So Fierce has been going for 25 years, and we’ve been committed to presenting different alternative voices from around the world who are working in contemporary performing arts.

“So from across the spectrum of unusual cabaret, theatre, dance performance, art, and unusual projects that might pop up across the city in unexpected ways. So we do events, performances, club nights, parties, workshops, experiences, talks, working across all the major venues in Birmingham and Coventry as well.”

This year’s Fierce festival runs until Sunday 16th October, with extraordinary exhibitions taking place across theatres, galleries and a range of unusual spaces across the city. The full programme is available on the Fierce Festival website.

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