Helping breath new life into Ipswich’s St Clements Church, this year’s SPILL Festival of Performance got under way tonight.

Ipswich Star: Siren, Ray Lee, SPILL 2014. Photo Steven HicksSiren, Ray Lee, SPILL 2014. Photo Steven Hicks (Image: Archant)

The church, closed since 1979, has reopened as Ipswich Arts Centre and was chosen to host the first night of the five-day festival which features more than 100 events covering live performance, installation, film and discussion with a series of world premieres and commissions. There’s also a think tank programme devised to spark public conversation.

Curated and produced by the Pacitti Company around the theme of Surrender, Ray Lee’s spinning spectacle Siren started to the sound of the church’s ringing bells tonight. Led to Ipswich town hall by Giovanna Maria Casetta in her constantly unfolding frock, audiences were then treated to a special performance of We Will Outlive the Blood You Bleed by Jamie Lewis Hadley before enjoying Bishi’s music, technology and performance spanning Albion Voice.

“My sincere thanks go to all of the institutions, funding bodies and individuals that for the past two years have helped make this festival come to pass,” said curator and festival director Robert Pacitti.

“In particular the Jerwood Charitable Foundation for their deep understanding and support of the SPILL National Platform; Arts Council England for their core support of Pacitti Company; and Ipswich Borough Council for their incredible help in many ways, but especially for everything that has happened to open up the police station as a festival venue this year.

“At a time when many others are frankly retracting, the borough council has been visionary in its support of SPILL and other cultural initiatives that take place year round in Ipswich.”

SPILL Festival of Performance runs until November 2. For more details visit www.spillfestival.com