Review Rundown: The One Where We Expect You To Gogh Die
The latest VR puzzler, Immersive Van Gogh in LA, immersive dance theatre in NYC, a dating app as narrative, and a puzzle box. Six Reviews.
So much this week!
We, meaning Laura, finally gets into the old Amoeba space in Hollywood to check out Immersive Van Gogh LA. Patrick gets his Double-0 on in I Expect You To Die 2. Blake explores a narrative disguised as a dating app. Anthony checks out an at-home puzzle box coming up on Kickstarter (we cover those now, but only when the stuff is feature complete). And even more. A little something for everyone.
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Eternal Garden — Maggie West
Free with RSVP; Los Angeles, CA; Event Concluded
In partnership with Vellum LA, StandardVision hosted an immersive pop-up exhibition of work by artist Maggie West. Eternal Garden was the vibrant result of West’s layered process: photographing flowers under colored lights and then transforming the time-lapse footage into an animated spectrum of digital floral landscapes; in turn, StandardVision’s production studio became a gorgeous, experiential LED garden.
While this presentation was a one-day-only event, StandardVision has long embodied a thoughtful, holistic approach for transforming public, urban spaces into more dynamic, humane, and inspiring environments. One example is contemporary video artist Kahlil Joseph’s experiential installation at the Webster (in collaboration with architects David Adjaye and Neumann/Smith), located at the Beverly Center. Best experienced at night, the installation is a prime example of the seamless fusion of art, tech, and architecture, which is StandardVision’s area of expertise.
And, due to open in October, Vellum LA is Los Angeles’ “first physical gallery for NFT-backed digital art.” StandardVision serves as Vellum LA’s tech partner, with artworks featured on specialized LED displays. Vellum LA’s goal is to “meaningfully situate the digital and crypto art communities within the context of art history, while also educating the public on the potential of NFTs to impact the future of art.” Once open, StandardVision may produce additional exhibitions with Vellum LA at their Melrose gallery space.
Experiential fans of all kinds would do well to add West, StandardVision, and Vellum LA to their radar; all three are sure to deliver compelling experiential work in the future.
— Laura Hess, Arts Editor
How Forests Dream — Fou Gallery
Free; New York City, NY; Through Sept 12
How Forests Dream tells the true story of a young widow whose husband passed away suddenly during 2020. Through a series of poems, she has tried to capture the dreams that she has of her departed loved one; she also processes her grief through her art: the designing and creation of exquisite fascinators. It is a story of overcoming great tragedy and pursuing a new future in spite of difficult circumstances.
Unfortunately, I was able to understand very little of this engaging and poignant story during the show itself. It was instead during post-show discussions with the creative team that this story became apparent. The venue — Fou Gallery — is a wonderful space for the performance, with delightful nooks and crannies filled with partially opened letters containing dream-like poetry. The contemporary dancer portraying our widow (performed by Ching-I Chang, an original cast member from Sleep No More NYC) is a truly beautiful artist. But without the throughline of the heartbreaking narrative, I found myself more bemused than engaged in How Forests Dream. While aiming for a dreamscape, the individual parts themselves unfortunately did not create a cohesive whole despite stunning set design.
Perhaps it is my fault for choosing not to engage with the web site prior to experience, but I believe that a piece of theatre should be able to tell its story in its entirety without the need for additional supporting material. It is a lesson for all creators to ensure that as we are creating worlds for others to inhabit, we do not forget that the audience wants to first understand the world and its story if they are to receive the message that the artistic team are trying to convey.
That said, I still would like to commend the all Chinese all female creative team, including producer Echo He (whose story is being told), for making the brave decision to publicly create art in response to personal grief, a beautiful choice that I hope will lead to future work and future healing.
— Edward Mylechreest, New York City Correspondent
I Expect You To Die 2 — Schell Games
$24.99; VR (Oculus, Steam, PSVR); Ongoing
Welcome back, Agent! I’m thrilled the reports of your death were greatly exaggerated….I probably should’ve waited to write those reports. Regardless, the villainous Zoraxis organization is planning world domination (again). Our only lead is from the devilishly charming actor John Juniper (who sounds a lot like Wil Wheaton). But be careful in meeting Juniper, as we’ve lost other agents recently, though it’s not like I expect you to die two too.
If you’re a fellow fan of the original VR game, you’ll find I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and The Liar (IEYTD 2) is a worthy and worthwhile successor even with being tonally quite different.
In IEYTD 2, audiences are constantly challenged to solve escape room-like puzzles and do so quickly to prevent befalling a fatal fate. Across six levels, I found that all of the game’s puzzles were fairly balanced in difficulty, especially when paired with the trial-and-error gameplay. Personally, I love that all that’s required to play IEYTD 2 is basic, straightforward observation and investigation, mixed with curiosity skills to overcome any obstacle. Additionally, each level is an engrossingly designed environment and rewarding those willing to explore its details.
The major difference between the two games lies in their narratives. Or rather, I should say IEYTD 2 actually has one. Missions flow into one another building to a sensational finale, creating a highly cinematic experience. (Possibly too cinematic.) Gone is the goofy buffoonery of wacky spy shannagains from the original IEYTD game. While IEYTD 2 perfectly captures casting you as James Bond in one of his movies, I do miss how the original cast me as Inspector Gadget in a PG-rated Archer episode.
All in all, IEYTD 2 being a more serious affair isn’t a bad thing, it’s simply different from the first game. More importantly, however, it’s incredibly well-crafted, being equal in stature to the best immersive theatre or escape room experience I’ve done. There’s stunning audience agency, world building, and exploration signposting that I believe everyone should take note
— Patrick B. McLean, Chicago Curator, will return in another review…
Immersive Van Gogh — Lighthouse Immersive & Impact Museums
$30 — $100; Los Angeles, CA (and other U.S. cities); Through Jan. 2, 2022
Much has been documented about the dueling, immersive Van Gogh exhibitions helmed by five separate entities and currently populating roughly 40 U.S. cities. I recently attended Immersive Van Gogh, one of two productions in Los Angeles. Inhabiting the former space of the iconic Amoeba Music record store, this version is presented by Lighthouse Immersive and Impact Museums. (A key claim is that it’s directed by Massimiliano Siccardi, a creative behind the original experience by Culturespaces at L’Atelier des Lumières.)
Overall, this is a beautifully produced, quality installation. Before entering the main galleries, there are Insta-worthy, immersive touch points including an illuminated tunnel, an emerald absinthe parlor, and an interactive station for letter writing with “Vincent”; the exterior includes a David Flores mural of Van Gogh and, in a nod to the venue’s history, seminal album covers reimagined with Van Gogh and his landmark paintings sit atop the roof.
At its best, the all-ages show offers audiences a novel way to experience Van Gogh’s work: the immersive, large-scale animation isolates and layers specific aspects of paintings, including individual brushstrokes by the post-impressionist master, which fosters a dynamic exploration of Van Gogh’s works. The soundtrack mixes classical music with contemporary pieces and composer Luca Longobardi shines when adding disarming sound design, most notably during a segment of Van Gogh’s iris paintings.
And yet, there’s a veneer over the experience. The reality is this product is designed for the masses and that’s apparent. For the general public, Van Gogh has become commercialized and digestible; his mental and physical health struggles have been minimized and romanticized. Lighthouse executives proclaimed they wanted to “humanize” Van Gogh and not “over-intellectualize” his work. In this case, the latter may be true, but delivering on the former requires a deeper, more holistic examination of the artist (and perhaps a smaller gift shop).
— Laura Hess, Arts Editor
I’M SO HOT — New Light Theater Project, Pocket Universe, and The Tank
$10.99; Remote (App); Ongoing
Described as a “olden day French Reality TV :p” (emoticon included), I’M SO HOT manages to make a moderately obscure, fairly problematic French satire into a fluffy ball of summer fun. The story of Marviaux’s La Dispute is presented through a Tinder-esque smartphone app, as you (the player) construct a dating profile while also spying on the unfaithful lovebirds of the cast as they send cheeky DM’s and video chat with each other. The base plot is a simple bet between a prince and his lover: who tends to cheat first, men or women? By getting four of their hottest subjects together, they seek to find out the answer, while also trying to stir the pot and build love triangles.
The app is bedecked in bright colors and rich with “valley girl” and “himbo”-style confessionals; the creators use broad humor which draws motifs and plot from La Dispute. Perhaps some of the bite of the original Marivaux is removed, but the overall result is too much fun to worry much about that. Let’s face it: the original scenario in which blank-slate orphans are released into an idyllic paradise to see who will cheat on who first is pretty much the set up for sexy island genre of reality TV fare like Temptation Island, Love Island, and FBoy Island. Each character is thick, all too beautiful, and charmingly shallow; more depth in I’M SO HOT would actually make the whole experience uncomfortable. Presented with a world of pretty, narcissistic oddballs, it’s a delight to dive into the gossipy chat boards and anonymously post “oh honey”s or take duckface selfies in order to insert yourself within the narrative. You definitely get what you put in: I had the most fun answering the questions as my most vapid and self-absorbed self, placing myself as just another contestant in the beauty-contest-slash-battle-of-the-sexes I’M SO HOT eventually becomes.
However, on Android, I’M SO HOT is slightly glitchy, and at least once I had to restart from an earlier point after an app crash. The plot can also be a bit hard to follow without at least passing familiarity with the original text. Jokes like flirty texts between narcissistic Egle and the river in which she sees her own reflection land better by cross-referencing a La Dispute plot synopsis in another window. The humor can occasionally get repetitive and the ending is a bit of an anticlimax. But breaks for OKCupid-style quizzes and chances to “review” other players’ comments keep the whole experience feeling fresh throughout.
Nonetheless, the fun of the experience and the innovation of a dating app being used as a theatrical platform (previously seen in such games as the Reigns series) deserves attention and praise. I enjoyed my time with I’M SO HOT and I believe those willing to overlook some rough edges will have fun as well. #CroissantLife #NoFilter #IMSOHOTGirlSummer #CoupleGoals #AntiCoupleGoals #OhHoney #OhNo
— Blake Weil, East Coast Curator at Large
The Vandermist Dossier — Diorama
$40; Remote (At Home Box); Kickstarter Coming In September, Then Ongoing In Early 2022
This review is of the pre-production At Home Box ahead of Diorama’s Fall Kickstarter campaign.
When done right, the growing narrative puzzle-in-a-box sub-genre can be engaging, feel challenging, and create a keepsake worthy of any ephemera given out during an in-person immersive theatre experience. By those metrics, The Vandermist Dossier hits on most levels. From the beautifully crafted and realistic documents to incredibly varied styles of puzzles, this box for the most part, does it right.
The Vandermist Dossier is an expanded English translation of the Dutch language game Het Boekanier Dossier. On the surface, it’s the story of a woman who is in search of her estranged sister who went missing forty years ago in a small European village. What quickly emerges is a tale of secrets, Cold War espionage, and even more questions. Vandermist is a few hours worth of entertainment, depending on the number of players (it’s recommended to be played by 2 to 5 players but I played solo, spread out over a few days), their level of experience with the kinds of puzzles involved, and how much of the documentation they explore.
Experienced escape room players and puzzle-solvers may make discoveries quickly but will still find puzzles challenging (and sometimes frustrating) to solve. There’s lots of small newspaper type in much of the documentation, so for those who don’t have the best vision, it’s sometimes hard to suss out relevant details and clues. Some of the physical puzzles are fiddly, requiring things to line up precisely, making it difficult to know if you’ve found the correct answer. Fortunately, there’s an online, tiered hint system to guide players through solutions, before giving outright answers.
The Vandermist Dossier is part one of a three-part series, but works well as a stand alone piece. It’s an enjoyable game that’s full of some really clever moments of discovery, some head scratching puzzles, and the opening salvos to a deeper mystery. It’s worth keeping an eye out for its international release.
— Anthony Robinson, Cultural Editor and Correspondent
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