Whether it’s reams of snappy videos on our social media feeds, the latest binge-worthy series you’re streaming, or the laptops that drive our economic lives, sight is perhaps our most overstimulated sense nowadays. Not only are so many of us reliant on it to exist in the modern day, but through our eyes, our attention is bought. So much so, that we often begin to neglect our other senses. So what happens when our sight is taken away? How might that change how we experience a rickety aeroplane taking flight, or a spirited dinner party?
Darkfield has docked at the brand new Harbour Park in Barangaroo, pulling audiences out of the digital world and crash landing them into the present with four pitch-black, multi-sensory experiences that last between 20-35 minutes (if you dare).
You will be buzzing afterwards, I know I was...
Two familiar favourites that Sydneysiders had the chance to experience earlier this year – Séance and Flight – return to the Harbour City after a record breaking season, along with the local premiere of Coma and Eulogy, two entirely different theatrical experiences from UK-based creative directors Glen Neath and David Rosenberg. Each of the four experiences are set inside inconspicuous shipping containers that have been refurbished to visually set the scene for each story. So before being plunged into darkness (I mean it, you cannot see anything) you are immersed in visual clues for your upcoming journey.
Beyond the immersive, sensory-overloading escapade, each Darkfield experience seeks to challenge its audience by posing questions that get to the heart of their personal beliefs or anxieties – by either putting them in morally compromising situations, or plunging them into the supernatural. Ranging from spooky thriller to existential dilemma, each experience harnesses different sensory elements – smell, taste, physical sets, technologically-enabled audience participation – along with intricate, intimate and spatially aware 360-degree auditory storytelling to take audiences on a journey.
Not sure which experience is the one for you? Flight and Coma were my personal favourites, but we bit the bullet and did all four experiences in one night, so you can get the lowdown and choose your own adventure.
For an existential trip, experience Darkfield’s newest immersive audio shows:
Eulogy
Core Question: Did you live a good life?
Duration: 35 minutes
The Experience: Stepping into the shipping container with the words “Eulogy” printed along the side, I am struck by two jarring lines of metal cages. Each individual cage has a whiteboard with a name printed on it, a seat with a pillow on it large enough for one person along with a set of headphones. As I sit down, I’m suddenly overcome by how isolated I am. Then I put the headphones on, the lights go out (after all the safety checks and warnings of course) and I am suddenly travelling in an elevator to the deepest level of my consciousness. Here I am probed with questions by my “companion” – are you allergic to shellfish? Are you a woman?
The audio is impressively vivid, mimicking the way that sound travels through space, convincing you that you must be standing in the room in the story with your eyes closed. The creators also harness the physical senses, using physical rattling and vibrations to enhance the feeling of travelling through space.
In Eulogy, the creators have expanded the Darkfield universe,tailoring the experience to the individual audience member. I am asked a series of “Yes” and “No” questions, and at one point posed with a moral dilemma for which there are two paths I can choose. It’s a level of interactive that begins to blur the lines of storytelling, where the audience is both a character with real choices and a witness to the story. It’s a brilliant idea, but didn’t always land as it was intended, with the binary questions often leading to abstract or random uses for my answers in the narrative. However, with continued experimentation, these technologically-enabled elements have the potential to be the most engaging and impressive components of the Darkfield experience.
Good to know: The night I attended Eulogy was a muggy summer's day, and it was considerably hot inside the shipping container. This turned the enclosed space into a sweaty boiler room, which in some ways added to the experience – but art was imitating life a little too closely. We later found out that the air conditioning was malfunctioning that day, but the doors had to be shut in order to maintain the pitch black darkness that the Darkfield experiences require. If you overheat easily or suffer from asthma or anxiety/panic attacks then we suggest you check on this before attending.
Coma
Core Question: Do you trust me?
Duration: 30 minutes
The Experience: Another eerie shipping container, but this time it’s lined with bunk beds – two rows, three levels. It’s giving beige school camp, but make it clinical and sterile. Before we walk in, we are told that by our beds there will be a dish with a pill on it – it’s up to us whether we take the pill or not, but it’s part of the experience. As we lay flat with headphones on, alarming red lights turn on, and a countdown begins. Is it a countdown for our coma?
In this experience, the creators harness our additional senses: the taste of the pill on our tongue, the feeling of lying down on a hospital-style bed with a cool-to-touch plastic mattress – and uniquely, they also harness smell. The audio storytelling uses the same spatial elements as in Eulogy, but this time instead of isolation, we can hear conversations going on at other beds as we are guided into a sort of meditative daze. Our deep-voiced host repeatedly emphasises the collective – if we take the pill, we should all take it together. It’s evocative, and starts to play on each audience members’ individual relationship and anxieties about being in control or at the mercy of others.
As far as immersive experiences go, this one is definitely the most multi-sensory, and it’s stirring to see how Darkfield is expanding their universe and their definition of horror and suspense. Those looking for a psychological thriller will find Darkfield’s newest experience enthralling.
Séance
Core Question: Do you believe in spirits?
Duration: 25 minutes
The Experience: A fan favourite from earlier this year, Séance fulfils its namesake. Sitting at a long table on red velvet chairs, with a few brass bells hanging intermittently from the roof, Séance spurs audiences on to believe in what they can’t see. The most haunting of the four, with some physical theatrics at play, Séance will have you shaking in your boots.
Read more about the Séance experience here.
Flight
Core Question: Which dimension are you in?
Duration: 30 minutes
The Experience: The other original Darkfield experience, Flight takes you on just that – a flight, and a turbulence-littered flight at that. Walking into the shipping container, you are transported into a real plane – there’s overhead compartments, tray tables, seatbelts, old-school video screens that drop down from overhead. Utilising visual elements along with the auditory journey, Flight will jet you off to an alternative reality and give you a few existential Sliding Doors moments, all while landing you safely back in your seat.
Read more about the Flight experience here.
Good to know: Those that suffer from claustrophobia or who often feel cramped in aeroplane seats may find this one physically uncomfortable. It may add to the authenticity of the experience, but if you usually struggle, maybe give this one a miss!
Whether you’re a fan of theatre, or a lover of psychological thrillers – or you're just looking for something exhilarating to experience with your friends and debrief about over dinner afterwards – the revamped Darkfield experience has something for everyone. Pick the one that speaks to you, or if you’re game, try all four. You will be buzzing afterwards, I know I was.
Things to know if you're going to Darkfield in Barangaroo, Sydney:
You’ll find the entrance to Darkfield’s Barangaroo site along Wulugul Walk, right behind Crown Towers Sydney (you know, the big phallic-looking building). There’s a pop-up bar from Archie Rose Distilling Co pouring botanical gin, vodka, and simple-but-yummy themed cocktails in paper cups. The bathrooms for Darkfield patrons are in Hickson Park; from the Darkfield site, follow the gravel path from Barton St, near the corner of Hickson Rd. If you’re planning to book in for more than one experience, we recommend scheduling time between shows for a bathroom break.
Darkfield experiences are suitable for ages 13 and above; 13 to 15-year-olds must be accompanied by an adult. Audiences are encouraged to check content warnings before purchasing tickets. Find out more about Darkfield in Barangaroo and secure your tickets over here.