Can Voidspace Fill London’s VAULT Void? (Review)
A new festival organized by the interactive arts zine could be just what London’s immersive scene needs most
By Thomas Jancis & Roderick Morgan
The London immersive scene is at a crossroads. The permanent loss of the VAULT Festival, combined with other factors (most of which link to systemic financial and political factors reaching far beyond the arts sector), means that fewer spaces exist where artists can take risks.
Luckily, Voidspace Live recently proffered a model to UK creatives that could represent a new way forward.
This one-day festival offered a mixture of performances, talks, and workshops. A personal itinerary for each guest oscillated between separate and full group activities: plenty of space, both in the schedule and the venue, allowed time for networking and discussions between participants. To begin the day we listened to some interactive poems in the cafe including Jo Gatford’s ‘Two Wolves’ where, using black or white cards, we made choices about which wolf to feed: ‘Fantasy Gamepoem’, a Fighting Fantasy-style adventure by Wes Viola, and ‘Faultlines’, by Mark Ward, where we voted on how a branching conversation should go. This kind of open and inclusive curation sets the scene for what’s to come and broaches the concept of linear narrative creation, an idea that was both compounded and challenged throughout the day.
The first session of the day included ‘A Quest for Rest’ by Ariella Como Stoian, a quiet experience, where, working as a group, we conserved our energy to get up and water Sven, the umbrella plant. A green ribbon around his neck as a diplomat, Tom informed the other groups that there will be peace among the humans, the plants, and the Great Duck hiding the Giant Toad. Meanwhile, in another space, Unwired Dance Theatre presented ‘Strangs’, where a human marionette responded to inputs from the audience via their phones to move individual body parts. The resulting improvised dance used looping feedback between the audience and the performer mitigated through a phone app. There was also ‘The Unbuilt Room’ by Seth Kriebel: a choose-your-own adventure book writ large to resemble a DnD adventure.
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As usual for a festival-style event, during the day the attendees continued to split and cross over in order to experience various workshops. In ‘This Time (Travel) Will be Different’ by Chloe Mashiter, we discussed ways to stay grounded in time travel: what to change and what to retain? Maybe we can break out of our bad habits and help each other. Parabolic Theatre’s’ Owen Kingston gave an insight into the inner workings of their shows and offered alternative models for creating work.
Emily Carding’s ‘Richard III (A One Person Show)’ had audience members wearing boards sporting names of their doomed characters while Carding spun on their heels to address the characters as we sped through the play in the hour. Meanwhile Muze Collective delivered an immersive musical sensorial experience employing elements of ecstatic dance and improvised choral rounds inspired by and involving the audience.
As a fan of collecting souvenirs from shows, Tom left with that green ribbon, a blueprint for a time machine and a sticker proclaiming him ‘DEAD’; clever makers at all levels of the industry are clueing in to fulfil audiences’ strong desire for souvenirs and merch.
Our hope is that this festival will expand and spark more independently-supported festivals and opportunities for immersive artists to experiment freely with the form within London and the wider area. In the wake of losing VAULT this festival proves there is still very much an engaged London audience baying for innovation and showing a strong willingness to take a risk when it comes to their entertainment; now it’s up to the landscape to decide whether or not to support the emerging creators.
Voidspace Live popped up in June and was produced by Voidspace with the aid of Theatre Deli in London, tickets were £45.
Discover the latest immersive events, festivals, workshops, and more at our new site EVERYTHING IMMERSIVE, home of NoPro’s show listings.
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