Review: Darkfield (Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park)

Review by Izzy Tierney

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FLIGHT. COMA. ARCADE. EULOGY. What do these words have in common? They're the names of four shipping containers in the middle of Stratford, where you can sit inside in pitch-black darkness and be transported to a new world via headphones. Sounds absurd? It is. Do I recommend it? Most definitely.

Spending the next few weeks as a resident of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Darkfield presents four stand-alone productions, describing them as “a collection of four immersive audio experiences in shipping containers, unfolding in complete darkness using 360° binaural sound, sensory effects, and theatrical design.” Each experience is unique in its storytelling and purpose, but what remains consistent in every one of them is the astonishing level of craftsmanship that has gone into creating such precise, detailed audio. It truly feels as though you have entered a new reality, with the audio masterfully designed to reflect the authentic direction, distance and depth of sound so that what you're hearing feels layered and real. When someone's voice whispers right into your ear, you can practically feel their breath on your neck and their presence beside you. The faint chatter, coughing or screams from the people around you is so effective you can easily believe the sounds are coming from the actual people in the room, instead of the imaginary ones in your headset.

Sensory effects like vibration, smoke, temperature changes, small gusts of wind to signify the opening of lift doors, and - my favourite - a small splash of water, amplify your belief in your surroundings, whilst the total darkness (you can't even see your own hand in front of you) allows the audio to really shine as the main focal point. The dark also gives you a blank canvas to imagine the sights going on around you, making everything feel infinitely more personal and intimate as your imagination blends with the audio and sensory effects.

FLIGHT is set in a realistic plane cabin and “explores the many worlds interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, taking audiences through two worlds, two realities and two possible outcomes to their journey.” It's an incredibly unsettling, overwhelming twenty minutes (in a positive way!) that gives you a good adrenaline rush and a few jump scares, but also genuinely gets you thinking about the idea of parallel universes and the concept of life and death, leaving you with the thought that everything makes sense and nothing makes sense at the same time. It's trippy, it's exhilarating, and it's extremely clever.

COMA takes place in a clinical facility and “invites audiences to take part in a mass experiment, to lie down together and slip into a collective dream.” The smell of antiseptic is strong from the moment you enter the shipping container, and the all-white (surprisingly comfy) bunk beds really give the illusion of stepping into a clinical environment with an almost morgue-like layout. You lay on your back as you are forced to confront the falseness of the statement “that will never happen to me” because after all, it has to happen to someone. It's a harrowing experience, starting slowly before building into something more sinister and unnerving; successful in its examination of body autonomy in a medical setting. My anxiety during COMA was heightened due to medical trauma of my own, but even without those memories, I think it would still have been deeply impactful.

ARCADE transports you to a dystopian war zone through “an 80s game themed choose your own path interactive experience” where “players will be asked to address deep existential questions about free will and consciousness in a world where some may win and some may lose..." Within thirty seconds I got shot - honestly quite on brand for me - so clearly the only thing I won was the ‘how quickly can you die?’ competition. Thankfully, in true game style, you get multiple lives! Once I had resurrected (I being the main character called MILK because... why not?) I was able to properly embark on the absurd adventure that is ARCADE. Due to its interactive nature, there are tonnes of different scenarios and paths MILK can take, with my friend and I having wildly different experiences where she murdered people and underwent a court trial, whilst I suffered a vast amount of memory loss during which I killed the leader of the South, entered into a lesbian relationship, and somehow lost a finger. It succeeds in asking the existential questions it’s designed to whilst also being a lot of fun to play, with both my friend and I saying we'd love to play again and discover new storylines!

The only one of the four experiences that feels underwhelming is EULOGY.  It begins in a hotel basement, “transporting audiences through a dreamlike, labyrinthine hotel,” but doesn't feel cohesive enough to have much of an impact beyond confusion. The audio technology cannot be faulted, and the overall narrative is interesting and easy to understand, but a lot of the story feels like it tries to do too much without doing enough to explain the more basic aspects like what is going on and why. I still found it enjoyable due to the immersive nature, but whereas the other three experiences left me asking philosophical, existential and personal questions, this one just left me with questions.

The anticipation of the unknown definitely elevated the experiences for me, but I do suggest reading the trigger warnings beforehand if there's something you feel could be potentially upsetting for you. Darkfield have these warnings on their website, as do the (very friendly) staff on site, plus the lights briefly come back on at the beginning of each experience so anyone who no longer feels comfortable continuing for the remaining duration has a chance to leave.

A Darkfield experience is intense, thought-provoking, and certainly unforgettable, so if you're a lover of anything immersive or you fancy trying something new, I highly recommend entering the Darkfield world, and hopefully, you'll make it out alive. After all, “there are many worlds in which this plane lands safely...”

Darkfield plays at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park until 2nd November. Tickets from https://www.darkfield.org/