Blast Theory aim to make connection as FutureEverything returns for 17th year

Festival: FutureEverything, various venues, Manchester, until May 19 2012

“At one level, it’s a simple game,” says Blast Theory’s Ju Row Farr, explaining I’d Hide You, an Arts Council-backed online test of “stealth, cunning and adventure” which appears to animate hybrids of Tomb Raidor heroine Lara Croft and Kill Bill swashbuckler Beatrix Kiddo.

“You see what they see, hear what they hear. But it’s also a live transmission, a journey through the streets of Manchester at night. Runners will take you to their hiding places, introduce you to the boozy, raucous bystanders.

“Do you care for the runners? Distract or hide them? For me, it’s a sci-fi world connecting strangers.”

The performance artists behind Blast Theory, a group of serial BAFTA nominees from Brighton, premiered their vicarious net contest at the Venice Biennale and the Sundance Film Festival.

And using smartphones, “smart television” and the web, its latest appearance is one of the highlights of a busy year for FutureEverything, the technologically forward-thinking festival which, with upliftingly unusual longevity, is now entering its 17th year of keeping us all guessing.

Taking inspiration from themes of collective action, this year’s programme takes to a Grade I-listed warehouse owned by the Museum of Science and Industry, the historic Victoria Baths and beyond for endeavours which range from thousands of ceramic objects tiptoeing through the streets to an ant ballet, DIY artworks and a zine symposium.

The music bill is equally impressive, starring audio-visual theatrics from Ninja Tune act Amon Tobin ISAM, electronic experimentalist Matthew Herbert and organ compositions inside St Philip’s Church by Tim Hecker.

• Visit futureeverything.org for full listings and tickets. I'd Hide You runs online May 17-19, 8pm-11pm. Visit www.idhideyou.com to join in.

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