Ryan Van Winkle (poet) & Dan Gorman (sound artist) lead you on a playful, sometimes surreal, journey to a distant land in under 15 minutes. In a set designed by artist Faith Eliott, Dan & Ryan bring you on a unique visual-sonic-poetic journey to one of four destinations: Mecca, the River Nile, Holland or the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. ViewMaster is more than just a performance it is an immersive experience for an audience of one which starts in a child-like den and whisks you away to another world.
From the description above I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I entered the common room at the Black Box for my personal art experience – ViewMaster. After filling in an odd multiple choice questionnaire I was led into a comfy duvet fort replete with slideshow lighted tower, it like something you would make in your room as a kid.
Faith Eliott has done a great job with the set and I think it helps transport you back to a time when you were a lot younger and imagination was king. Ryan immediately sets me at ease, he’s amiable and likeable and sends any apprehension that I had about a one-on-one experience out the door. I’m then handed a ViewMaster, preloaded with a slide wheel of the seven wonders of the ancient world. As I stare through to the 3D pictures, sound artist Dan Gorman creates a unique soundscape that swirls and changes as poet Ryan Van Winkle reads a poem for each wonder that I see through the view master. I felt like I was on a journey and although the props used are basic and somewhat analogue the effect is complete and immersive, indeed it’s impressive. It creates a world around you and allows you, for 15 minutes or so, to be somewhere else. At the end I felt refreshed and somewhat lighter, this was a show just for me and I really liked that personal experience. In a world that is increasingly about mass consumption, online, on TV, in our lives, this is an experience that you have to do on your own and that will not be the same for any two people. I was a little unsure how I felt about these kind of personal art experiences, but I really enjoyed it and I’ll be looking out for more of them in the future. I even got a wee picture of myself mid-show to keep!
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