On Atmospherics: Staging Stormzy and nonbinary thinking

Taking the UK Grime artist Stormzy’s performance at Glastonbury 2019 as a case study, this article investigates tactics, technologies and processes revealed through act of staging atmospheres. Process-based philosophies experience, such pluriversal design worlding, are adopted to examine ontologically ‘nonbinary’ perspectives that an atmosphere-led stage aesthetics invite. Methodologically, headlining produced by TAXBOX collaborators is analyzed geographer Derek McCormack’s approach speculative devices (such balloons or sets) ‘doing atmospheric things’. This includes analysis atmospheres indeterminate ‘worlding envelopes’ role atmospherics in enacting, projecting, affirming possible worlds for Black British culture. proposal envelopment extended into study theatre positioning ‘scenographics’ type atmospherics. Put simply, offers initial argument considering tactical affects scenographics within production The concludes with challenge category-based (binary) ontologies argues benefits process-based (nonbinary) aesthetics.