Overview
Fear, dread, tension, apprehension, just being creeped out — they're all strong emotions. They're also exactly the types of reactions that Darkfield and Realscape Productions trade in. The two companies have been teaming up for a couple of years now, with UK creators Darkfield first collaborating with the Melbourne-based Realscape Productions on Seance, Coma and Flight, those eerie shipping container installations that have popped up around the country. Then, when the pandemic hit, the pair pivoted to at-home audio experiences. If you've listed along to Double, Visitors and Eternal as part of the Darkfield Radio series, you'll know that putting people on edge is firmly on the agenda here.
With their latest Darkfield Radio project, Darkfield and Realscape aren't messing with their successful formula. So, audiences can expect another unsettling experience designed to be listened to at home. But this duo never serve up the same thing twice, even if their current works all spin nerve-jangling tales and unfurl creepy audio experiences.
With Knot, which is currently running each Friday, Saturday and Sunday until Sunday, September 30, you don't just sit in one place, don your headphones and listen attentively, for instance. Initially you need to head to a park bench to listen in — still wearing those headphones, of course — and you'll want to sit in a car after that. For the last section of this three-part experience, you'll then get comfy in a room in your house.
To get the full experience, you need to work through all three of Knot's sections in one evening — untangling them in your head, naturally. Darkfield and Realscape always keep the minutiae of their shows close to their chests, so that audiences experience them for themselves while listening, but they have released one clue for Knot: "Here I am, I have come from nothing, created in this moment, as your brain improvises me into existence, improvised into existence... but with no hidden depths."
"Season one exposed audiences to the mysterious and supernatural inside their homes, magnified by Darkfield's signature 360 degree binaural sound,", said Realscape Productions Amy Johnson. "We're looking forward to getting audiences outside of their homes for Season two — in COVID-safe settings of course — and pushing them out of their comfort zones even more."
Images: Empty Bottles Media.