Review: RAWTRANSPORT™, VAULT Festival

Electrick Village brings technology to VAULT Festival, creating an all-encompassing 360 adventure that - quite literally - transports the audience to another dimension. Met by a chirpy staff member and the creator of "top of the line travel company" RawTransport™ we explore the trappings of escapism and the dangers of Virtual Reality.

The project is an intriguing experience that spans all the shades from sinister to remarkably curious. While a pair of headphones and VR equipment tend to the audiovisual aspect of the show, Carly McCann and Ben Grant take care of the physical features that concern the journey. The result is peculiar and almost isolates the mind from the body while binding them together at the same time.

The concept idea is impressive and the execution is flawless. However, the story and themes have the tendency to be engulfed by the "cool factor" of the piece as a whole. Perhaps a plot that's slightly more fleshed out would help settle it and the impact would go beyond the sleekness of the technology.

Electrick Village are clearly onto something: their research on the use of VR combined with sensory elements and their employment in immersive theatre is groundbreaking. RawTransport™ is 5D cinema's long-lost cousin, somewhat rough around the edges in terms of storytelling, but definitely something to acknowledge.

RawTransport™ runs at VAULT Festival until 23 February.