This September, Ashford-based dance company AΦE bring their five-star performance WHIST to the Old Market, Brighton.
WHIST is an art installation come physical theatre piece inspired by the work of Sigmund Freud. In the words of AΦE’s, the work ‘invites you on a journey into the unconscious mind, through the dreams, fears and desires of a fictional family’.
What is perhaps most intriguing about this hour-long experience is its use of interactive Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). During the piece, audience members wear VR headsets and headphones as they move around and interact with an art installation. According to AΦE, through the use of VR and AR technology, an environment that ‘blurs the boundaries between consciousness and unconsciousness, reality and fiction, the physical and the virtual’ is established.
In an exploration of this relationship between the ‘physical’ and ‘virtual’, set designer James Shaw describes how he produced an art installation that consists of nine different objects. According to Shaw, these objects ‘create a link between the virtual reality and the real reality that the objects occupy.’ The audience are invited to interact with these different objects, which relate to the content and characters within the VR film shown through the headset.
This blurring of the lines between virtual reality and real reality is certainly showcased in their incredibly cool ‘360’ trailer, where you are able to move the camera around freely to view the mix of real and surreal locations and characters. Check out the ‘360’ trailer here, which is sure to get you excited about this upcoming, cutting-edge work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px3aZzTxHfg&index=1&list=PL0b04sv5d3V-aHBElVvkJWGsTXnp4VG-G
There are a limited number of tickets available for each performance so get booking before you miss the chance to experience this future-facing performance. All tickets £10.
WHIST runs from the 19th-20th September at the Old Market, with performances starting from 11am, right through till 9pm.
Featured Image: The Old Market
