The Whistle II

The Whistle II is a reinterpretation of the original, acclaimed performance The Whistle. The original work centres on an artist who arrives on stage holding a single whistle. With a gentle prompt, the artist declares:

“This is a whistle. When I blow the whistle, you must close your eyes. When I blow again, you may open them. Are you ready?”

This new iteration continues Darragh’s exploration of theatrical mechanics, re-examining the concept with a multidisciplinary ensemble. The central mechanic invites the audience into a collaborative game of perception, where their participation—or lack thereof—shapes their experience, positioning them as co-creators rather than mere spectators.

The Whistle II features a juggler, a dancer and a musician and plays with the theme: ‘who is in control’?

Squarehead Productions

Squarehead Productions was founded in 2012 as a platform for supporting artistic research and performance; as well as being a space for collaboration with other artists from all fields.

Squarehead Productions is led by Darragh Mcloughlin, a conceptual artist with roots in contemporary circus. His physical practice is centred around different movement practices and research with objects. The body remains a central subject within all of his work. His work appears through a multitude of different formats and can be seen as live performances, performance lectures, video installations and visual art works. His work is informed by fields besides the arts such as those of: cognitive science, psychology, philosophy, game theory, ludology and aesthetics.

Squarehead Productions’ ethos is to engage with what feels to be ‘meaningful and relevant’ in that moment – with a strong focus on developing this research as tools for creation methods. Each project puts a strong emphasises on the role of the audience within the artwork/performance to the point that their experience is considered the work.