I was delighted to get invited to a special performance of ‘In The Dark’ this week in London, after seeing the project get birthed and thrive in my home city of Cambridge quite a few years ago.
Dynamic cultural producer Andrea Cockerton has worked within music for many years, and knew that the idea of giving audiences an immersive live musical experience – in darkness – could bring tremendous benefits, and over several iterations, this project is thriving, and has now been brought to London audiences – with the hope it will grow into the projects permanent home.
The Space:
The current venue is St Andrew Church in Holborn, on Chancery Lane, right in the heart of London’s economic district – and as I stepped out of the tube station into the street, the grey gloom of the capital City greeted me, with all the busyness and throng of a Thursday evening at rush hour. I often feel a special thrill at going to an arts event in such a mercantile environment: arts, culture and the imagination so often feel threatened by the push for finance and economic stabilty within this current political climate, in funding the sciences for instance, and this was no exception, particularly as it was in a church in the heart of it all. While inside this very special church, restored and renovated in 1668 by the eminent architect Sir Christopher Wren, outside us office blocks are reaching up high, whereas for many years previously only sky would peer in.
St Andrew’s has vaulting pillars, beautiful golden screens, some sculptures and statues, and uplighting that matches the pillars, alongside oak panelling, all in a straightforward display – a fresh simple and yet deeply spiritual space for prayer, contemplation, and tonight, immersive live sound! The space had been lit with reds, blues, and greens, enhancing the atmosphere greatly.
I took my dear friend, Mick Collins, Norwich-based therapist and writer, who talked in rhapsodic terms about the venue and the whole experience afterwards.
Music:
Transported by the choral and instrumental offerings that popped up across the space, in corners, in front of us, and alongside us. The performance was genuinely breathtaking and profound, and it needed some quiet time to fully digest the experience. Those first moments after the concert had ended were gloriously ineffable. At no stage in the hour was I tempted to lift the eye mask and peek at the scene, though I did wonder if I might have loved this even more were I lying on the floor! I particularly loved hearing male voices starting, and solo female voices, as well as elements of rhythm and percussion leading some of the pieces.
We could hear the voices and instruments travel around the space, and I felt a sharper sense of hearing sounds thrown between instruments, bouncing off each other and responding to the piece. Maybe a sound came from my row of seats, then a singer was in front, and then a chorus of voice rose from the far left. And so forth, punctuated by silences between each of the pieces.
For some of the music, I really felt there was a watery theme (having spent much of last years promoting films and activism engaging with water and rivers), which delighted me, and scanning through the programme we were cleverly handed afterwards, the titles of some of the tracks bear this out. I won’t spoil the surprise and talk about the specifics and the songs that are part of the event as I really want to maintain the joy and surprise of the not knowing, and absolutely want to encourage everyone to go and experience this event if they are able. There was a glory in sitting and having the sounds wash over me, with no knowledge, anticipation, or even expectation of anything specific. Seeing the musicians as we peeled off the provided (very thick and comfortable and available to take home! ) eye masks who clearly were as happy as the audience were, and receptive to our cheers and applause, brought us all into rapt synergy.
All my neurons were buzzing and melting, and after a few thank you’s, hugs, enjoyment of the space and the folk we had shared this with, we melted out of the church, lifted divinely by having been ‘In The Dark’.
The projects publicity says “no phones and no distractions” and absolutely, what a joy that is.
Reflection:
Walking back to the tube, and then the train home, we were both pretty speechless, unable to find words for what we have both witnessed through our audible senses. We thought a bit, sat in quiet reverie, danced with some words, and then decided to reflect overnight and see the next day how we felt. After a deep slumber, all my neutrons moulded back into the shape of me, and we checked in with each other –
Mick: “ at one stage I felt I was inside a prayer – the experience was effervescent on the inside, like champagne bubbles: certain pieces brought this up. A very sacred experience. Afterwards I was left with a sense of oneness, in a true sense of the word. Very light in the body, and my mind had been cleansed – the vibration of the sound and the instrumentation. A beautiful beautiful experience. “
‘In The Dark’ is an exceptional immersive cultural experience like no other. Hearing these musicians perform together, to us and with us, in this unique and held spiritual environment of St Andrew Holborn, is both restful and stirring, joyful and deeply prayerful, beyond words.
