Immersive theatre will never be the same without the juice of the juniper.
If we wish to simply brush the outer circles of our sensorial psyche we can make a palatable pop-in to partake of a cleverly crafted cocktail. Here in the The Cacophony Bar we are able to peruse an array of curiosities including the precious pianola, Pavlov’s talking dog, trained to associate sound with taste through classical conditioning, and delight in the sounds of the twin essences of Hendrick’s Gin at the cucumber and rose listening posts. There is time to muse on the magnificence of the mixicologists, the triumphs of the taxidermist and the orchestral oddness of instruments emanating from the walls.
The sensorially adventurous may delve deeper and partake of the full event enjoying an ecstatic experience in each of the remarkably enriched rooms. No doubt aided by a few tantalising tots acclaimed sound artist Mark Ijzerman has created a programme of mind-expanding diversions that utilises the senses to deconstruct the cocktail drinking experience.
Let the event commence. Across the hall we enter our first specialised sensory setting, ‘The Quietest Bar On Earth’. Here we marvel at the martini, which author E.B. White maintained to be ‘the elixir of quietude’. Next the ‘audio-gastrotorium laboratory’ awaits for an experiment on the interconnectedness of sound, colour and taste. Then we rise further to hear the ‘quantumphysical soundscape’ of a cocktail carried by a most curious contraption that amplifies the vibrations of its sub-atoms. Climbing to the ultimate level the ‘sonic cucumber bath’ awaits us. Here our minds are mended and bodies relaxed as we embrace our alpha brain waves guided by the gifted gongologist.
Oh what fun we had and how fabulous we feel. Ushered by thespians we have toured and tasted, inhaled and imbibed and reveled and rested. Immersive theatre will never be the same without the juice of the juniper.
