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The Door in Question
An Interactive decent into Altered Perception.
As part of the Sleepless Footsgray Festival, the multi sensory experience The Door In Question opened to the public this week.
Inviting viewers into a world of interactive exploration and vivid sensory experiences, The Door In Question is a unique experience, not quite like anything ever created before.
Beginning at The Cube, viewers are taken on a journey through a landscape of memories, mental health illness and a sea of discarded possessions.
As a voice guides you into Hosier Lane, a Virtual reality scene unfolding in front of you, the space opens out to capture various childhood experiences. At times it feels sad, reflective and a little disorienting.
As you move through onto the other spaces, it’s like walking through a time capsule of memories. It’s unsettling at times, it is a visceral experience, where smells, sounds and objects intertwine with you, to create a feeling of anxiety. It’s a whole body reaction to what is happening and you’re not just an observer, you’re a participant in the process.
THE DOOR IN QUESTION is the brainchild of producer Troy Rainbow, who created the show based on his real-life experiences living with mental illness, exploring the chaotic yet mysterious inner workings of schizophrenia.
As you progress through the experience, it’s hard not to empathise with Troy, as you feel how chaotic his childhood must have been. Time loses all meaning, and even though you’re seeing it through his eyes, you’re not just a casual observer- you see mental illness through the eyes of his mother as well. It’s compelling and captivating.
For anyone who grew up with a parent or family member with mental illness, the experience is somewhat familiar. The chaos and anxiety that one feels when walking through the rooms is similar for those that have experienced these feelings firsthand. For anyone else, it’s an insight into the chaos and challenges a child faces when a parent is unable to be a caregiver.
It is a poignantly beautiful yet sad love letter, a catharsis and a rationalisation of the reality of how a child experiences the world via a parent with psychosis. It’s brilliance lies within how it completely immerses you into Troy’s troubled childhood and the troubled mind of his mother. One can only imagine how hard it must have been to revisit old memories and uncover the scars once thought to be healed when creating this work.
To remove the stigma that surrounds mental illness is to take a brave leap into the unknown and Troy does so with compassion. There is no anger or hatred in the experience, just a rationale of what it must feel like to be inside the mind of someone who without support was unable to be a caregiver and mother. There is a sense of grief for the person who lived through this.
It makes you feel uneasy, uncomfortable and anxious all at once, but also inviting curiosity to explore. Each room is different to the last, some are more chaotic than others.
Troy Rainbow has created an art piece that is truly inspiring and unique, it is haunting, thought provoking and sadly beautiful. It inspires conversation and creativity. The craftsmanship of each room is amazing, from the VR to each different room, the amount of thought and detail that has gone into creating a fully visceral atmosphere is extraordinary. The smells of fresh paint, vanilla, sulphate and smoke make the entire journey feel so much more disorienting. It’s exceptionally easy to completely lose track of all reality as you traverse through each room.
The Door in Question will leave a lasting impression on anyone who experiences the artwork and hopefully allow viewers to take away from it their own thoughts and feelings on how it affects them. Whether it be feelings of anxiety or familiarity or just a sense of understanding The Door in Question is an experience that will stay with you long after you enter back into reality.
THE DOOR IN QUESTION will play at various locations throughout Footscray from 8 to 18 May, as part of after-dark music and arts festival, SLEEPLESS FESTIVAL. The festival is set to take over Melbourne’s inner west this May with a vibrant showcase of music, performance, art and installation.
For tickets and more information visit www.sleeplessfestival.com.
