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It’s a Monday night and a giant stuffed bear towers over me as I discuss my worst nightmares with a group of strangers. We’re all wearing identical dressing gowns and slipper socks. This isn’t some weird therapy session – I'm at ‘Somnai’, a new virtual reality immersive production. Set over two floors in a huge Clerkenwell warehouse, this debut show from Dotdotdot promises to explore the realm of lucid dreaming using VR technology. If that sounds a bit vague, that’s kind of the point.
When I arrive at the ‘sleep clinic’, I have no idea what to expect. We’re given a ‘patient ID wristband’ and a Fitbit (more on that later) and ushered into a clinical white room where cold ‘medical staff’ scan our faces. It feels like we’re in an episode of ‘Black Mirror’. The cast isn’t huge, as we spend a good chunk of the show with our VR headsets on. But one actor guides our group of six through the experience, asking about our dreams, reading us a bedtime story and telling us when to put our ‘sleep masks’ (VR headsets) on and take them off.
For the most part, the VR technology is pretty cool. I go from flying into the sunset with birds (while being wafted with air to truly feel like I’ve got the wind beneath my wings) to exploring a magical forest, complete with glowing mushrooms you can reach out and grab. At one point, we cross a bridge with gaping holes in it and I carefully step over them, even though my mind knows I’m on solid ground. It’s a bizarre feeling. The tech is a bit glitchy at times and at one point I feel like I might throw up, but perhaps these are teething problems.
It comes to an end quite suddenly, though. What’s billed as a 90-minute experience only lasts an hour before we were whisked into the bar. There, you can download the app to see how fast your heart was beating thanks to the Fitbit data (mine reached 192bpm at one point – yikes) and use augmented reality technology on your drink. They’re presumably factoring this into running time, but even so, it’s a bit steep for £50.
It’s an ambitious and fun concept but if you’re looking for an immersive show to rival Punchdrunk’s productions, this isn’t it.
