Arcadia was founded by Pip Rush (who previously worked alongside his brother, artist Joe Rush, at the Mutoid Waste Company) and Bert Cole, formerly master of the world’s largest tent, the Valhalla.[7][8][9]
Their first collaboration, the Afterburner, debuted at the Glastonbury Festival in 2007 after being built in a cowshed.[10] Subsequent years saw the refinement of the Afterburner until 2010 when 3 Customs and Excise scanning units were attached as "legs".[11] This first incarnation of the ‘Spider’ led to two more years of adjustments until they both became separate installations in permanent form.[12][13] Arcadia's installations are built from recycled materials and military equipment[14][15]
Arcadia have developed a series of mechanical landscapes and performance-based shows between 2007 and the present, collaborated with New Zealander Carlos van Camp to form the Lords of Lightning[16] and built the mobile Bug Stage which appeared at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Paralympics.[17][18]
In 2014, Arcadia were given a permanent area at the Glastonbury Festival.