Freespace Fest brings experimental art and live performance to an outdoor venue

The outdoor arts event Freespace Fest is back, and this year a carefully curated programme of experimental and performing arts is designed to get audiences more involved in the action.

Running on November 22 and 23 - the weekend before Clockenflap and at the same West Kowloon venue - the festival is all about enjoying the arts in the great outdoors. After this edition, it will take a break for two years while a section of the waterfront is closed for construction of the park, and a permanent venue for Freespace.

"We want to push a broad range of artistic experiences. We know from the last two editions that the people who come are experiencing an arts festival, or watching an artistic performance, for the first time," says Low Kee Hong, head of artistic development at the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.

The highlight of the weekend for many will be the interactive "smart" show, MURS, presented by Spanish theatre company La Fura dels Baus. It's billed as the first of its kind in the world. This is audience participation on a massive scale and is based around a specially designed smartphone app.

Stepping inside the "walled city" performance space, the audience will be divided into groups - Security, Well-being, Fortune or Green living - and guided by the app. But it won't be long before the hour-long show descends into chaos as unknown forces challenge the order of the city. YouTube footage of this - involving a Spanish audience - looks exciting, and it's sure to be a well-attended event in a city where everyone loves their phone.