Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – ArtsDistrict Brooklyn uses technology to engage the senses and immerse visitors: LIMITLESS AI, SÉANCE, and FLIGHT

• By drediman
• August 11, 2022
• No Comments

This summer, I had the opportunity of paying a visit to ArtsDistrict Brooklyn. Located in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood, the new venue was built to be a home for large-scale digital installations and theatrical experiences that use technology to engage the senses and immerse visitors in innovative ways. Read on below for my thoughts on venue’s maiden attractions.

LIMITLESS AI meditates on the capacity of the human mind and soul for wonder

Now playing at ArtDistrict Brooklyn’s main indoor space is a piece entitled Limitless AI (RECOMMENDED). Created by pioneering digital artists at Ouchhh Studio, the experience is segmented into five chapters that explore and meditate upon the capacity of the human mind and soul to grasp and wonder at the mysteries and glories of the cosmos and the arts. Utilizing over 60 projectors, the 45-minute piece unfolds organically through a fluid progression of continually-morphing, all-encompassing video projections, as well as state-of-the-art sound design. There are a number of aspects that differentiate Limitless AI from other similar seeming experiences, namely the dueling immersive Van Gogh “exhibits” that have made stops in the New York, as well as the offerings of technology-focused venues like Artechouse in Chelsea. First off, there’s a fascinating A.I. component, which may not be initially apparent, that makes attending the experience a dynamic and unique one. There’s also a coup d’theatre involving live performance at the conclusion of the experience that left me with goosebumps (no spoilers on both counts here!).

Embracing the darkness to tell a story in SÉANCE and FLIGHT

If you venture to the venue’s spacious outdoor courtyard, you’ll encounter a pair of 40-foot shipping containers positioned side-by-side. Within each is another type of immersive experience that does away with Limitless AI‘s visual spectacle altogether. In fact, these experiences – entitled Flight and Séance (both RECOMMENDED) – embrace pitch black darkness to showcase the degree to which our other senses can be catalysts for vivid storytelling. Depending on which shipping container you enter, you’ll either find the interior of a commercial airplane or a Victorian séance room, both of which have been meticulously recreated. When the lights are unnervingly turned off, you’re left to experience these short psychological thrillers – Flight depicts a trans-American trip gone awry, while Séance speculates on the presence of the supernatural among us – solely through the senses of sound (the 360-degree sound design via headset is spectacular and eerily life-like) and movement/touch (yes, things move out there in the darkness!). The creations of the U.K.-based production company Darkfield, both shows artfully play with dramatic tension and the chilling unpredictable possibilities of each situation, thankfully without resorting to cheap thrills. Although I left both 20-minute adventure still wanting more, I nonetheless marveled at their novelty.