Imaginaria

Imaginaria is a sound and light show in a darkened space inside a giant white bubble. The multimedia exhibition promises to be 'an immersive play experience from the future' so, on top of the excellent visual displays, I was expecting a little bit more interactivity. You enter the space like any other exhibition, check your ticket, take off your shoes, don some supplied socks and enter a room full of tic-tac-like seats and a circular screen. Once your eyes have adjusted to the dark, you are in a sort of stargazing planetarium. How long you stay is up to you. Or you can leave at any time, following the exit signs to the next space. You usher yourself through various rooms to experience outer space, a laboratory-like bubbling light show, a Max-Headroom style cartoon character, strip lighting space, a ceiling of pulsating fabric jellyfish and a giant slide, all to a post-modern electro soundtrack reminiscent of an XTC backbeat from the 1980s.

It's not an unpleasant experience as you let your senses relax and enjoy the giant imagery as it surrounds you. Then there are mirrors that allow you to become part of the colourful display. The dark could throw some people off, but there were guides hiding in the wings in case of disorientation. These hidden humans also display the interactive nature of some of the screens that respond to your touch and movement. A swirling collection of colours gathers itself in response to your hand movements. It's fun but, with children immersed in techno most of their day, I don't think this is quite the future of play that is promised. I've been to interactive galleries where your presence in front of a wall or the sound of your voice and movement of your arms influences the trajectory of images, including your own set of wings. In Imaginaria you are part of the display, but (apart from that one screen) you can't affect it in any way. It would have been nice to see some more playful and unexpected images here. And, unless I missed something, audio plays no real part other than wallpaper background music. With today's technology I think there is plenty of room to move in the sound sculpture space too (particularly with physical contact being so tricky in the COVID world).

Imaginaria is produced by Nick and Lucy Ennis from the Loose Collective, the design agency responsible for the minimalist Nique fashion brand, and which also specialises in immersive experiences, electronic multimedia and music. With project architecture by Victoria Punturere, sculptural design by Steve Howden, audiovisuals by Projection Teknik & Joli.vision, and physical installation design by Freddy Osler, Imaginaria is a fun experience. I just wish it wasn't so focused on being childproof. If the installations were able to expand beyond its current images, I think the sensory experience could be used to augment art exhibitions and eventually be used in theatrical shows and events. I look forward to seeing what this team does next.

Beth Keehn

Photo credit: Imaginaria