The Experiment
By Mark Ravenhil and David Chisholm
Performer –
Mauricio Carrasco
Writer – Mark
Ravenhill
Composer – David
Chisholm
Guest Composer –
Fernando Garnero
Images – Emmanuel
Bernardoux
Media Artist –
Matthew Grigold
Dramaturg – Jude
Anderson
Melbourne Festival 2015
Malthouse Theatre
The Experiment is
true Festival fare - a challenging, demanding and at times ‘in your face’
performance. It pushes the envelope with
regard to sensation particularly sound.
The experience touches on, what it would be like to be traumatized,
seemingly from the perspective of a perpetrator of violent/painful abuse. But it could also be expressing the
experience of the victim, as perceived by the perpetrator, who himself has been
a victim.
There is
considerable ambiguity throughout.
It portrays the
relentless intrusion of re-occurring memories, distress confusion and
disassociation – the result of trauma.
It is immersive.
 |
| Image of Mauricio Carrasco by Shane Reid |
The actual
traumatizing experience is hazily described.
This is because, that which is being portrayed and expressed, is not so
much descriptive of events but rather a portrayal of the legacy of damage. What we witness is one man’s shattered and
changing realities through his disjointed verbal descriptions and a changing
projected visual landscape.
As a possible
compliant perpetrator’s assistant Mauricio Carrasco (as the protagonist) talks
of experimenting on two children and the inference is that the experiments are
painful and dangerous and damaging.
Startlingly we are reminded of Holocaust medical experiments.
As a kind of
contradiction to this there are some tame but symbolically troubling images of
men with dolls that obviously symbolize children where the inference is more
akin to the dark crime being sexual abuse.
Blaming the other
and torturing the listener/viewer expresses the perpetuation of the cycle and
pain of abuse. The works portrayal of
the unethical and cold-blooded use of the innocent for one’s own gain -
distresses.
This material is
doubly difficult to dwell on right now with the confirmation of the
identification of the murdered child in the suitcase (Kandalyce Kiara Pearce)
and the still involved disappearance of toddler William Tyrrell. The cross over with reality as we are
currently experiencing it through the news is deeply troubling.
Carrasco expresses
the occurrences from the conceit of shattered brain.
Early on in the
work there are inferences of the story Hansel and Gretel, bars and
incarceration as well as projections of old knarled trees that could be out of
a fairytale forest. There are
fantastical projections of double screens ambiguous forest and fairy world and
perhaps undersea creatures. Images
change and the affronting journey brutalizes.
Technically what
is truly amazing the way the sound moves around the room by way of numerous
hanging speakers.
Much of the sound
is discordant music a legacy from the early 20th century and most
affectingly the sliding of a ruler on guitar strings and in doing so continually
hitting the pickup to almost abusive effect.
It is becomes a
harsh and unrelenting event and relief is felt at the conclusion. And even then it seems to take a while to
free oneself from the unrelentingly troubling, disorientating and brutalizing
experience.
Suzanne Sandow
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