In the Beginning was the End? Somerset House

Picture from somersethouse.org.uk

In yesterday’s Siberian cold H and I hotfooted it over to Somerset House, via some of London’s busy shopping streets of course… What we were going to see was promised to be ‘mind-boggling, enthralling and truly bonkers’ with this in mind we wandered into the glorious courtyard of Somerset House, bathed in the twilight air, clutching tickets ready to be immersed.

I have loved this medium of theatre for a while now; I was in awe of Punchdrunk’s 2007 production of The Masque of the Red Death in the Battersea Arts Centre. The spectacular show allowed you to freely wander the venue, and if you were strong enough of heart, discover the production on your own terms. People emerged back into the night air having found entirely different sections of Poe’s works being performed, essentially creating their own play. It was with this, rather unfairly in mind that I entered the basements of Somerset House. 

We were led in small groups into the bowels of Somerset House and Kings College. We were respectfully asked as we left not to share too many of the shows secrets, and so keeping this in mind, I will leave some of the important details out. We were immediately put on edge being led into a sterile boardroom, like so many of those that litter London and sat in front of a screen. We quietly watched as a screaming match unfolded on screen, of which we could not hear a word. Then things began to get creepy in a fast-paced opening sequence as we were plunged into darkness. 

Photo by Elliot Frank

What becomes apparent as we are left to wander the sprawling rooms of decaying labs and experiments (including a man making light from lemons, yes really) was where is the world of technology taking us? Is technology adding or detracting from our lives? Based on a fragmented sketch by Leonardo Da Vinci entitled A Cloudburst of Material Possessions we are asked to ponder this question as we digest what we see around us. This is helped by the fact that the languages being spoken throughout the performance are anything other than English, I think this placed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to focus on the visual elements of the performance rather than the words. 

Photo via National Gallery

During the great majority of the performance H and I felt a growing sense of tension and foreboding as we witnessed the inception of technology, the materialistic forms this technology took (the PetBot being my personal favourite), right the way through to the apocalyptic end that this technology delivered. There was moments of much-needed levity provided by some wonderful actors. But I hate to say it; overall I was left with no emotional connection to what was being presented.

Like Da Vinci’s sketch it was a performance of fragments, many of which seemed to deliver concept over substance it feels as though the loss of human spirit that Tristan Sharps is examining has permeated far too deep in this performance for me to really enjoy it. Coupled with a very bizarre ending, of which H said something which expresses it far better than I have here. ‘When life gives you lemons it’s just shit.’ Whilst I wouldn’t go that far to describe this show I do feel as though the early promise of whirling scientific experiments and eerily designed rooms gets lost as you progress. In the end I suppose this journey through Somerset House’s subterranean spaces is one that you can make yourself. I just hope you can unravel a little more than me. 

The production runs until Friday 29th of March and more information can be found here