An Immersive Experience by Charlie Troman

An Abstract:

From the safety of his childhood Darkroom, created in his bedroom cupboard, the once Little Boy with a Torch shines his light on a new immersive experience at this festival of light and technology.

He has designed a project of intriguing light and sound. Using audio visual technology to illustrate what it is like to feel “not normal” in a world outside today’s Darkroom Door; a place where we are constantly distracted and bombarded by technological notifications and the inconvenience of convenience in everyday life, complicating and overwhelming social interaction.

He invites us into this new “Darkroom” to tell a story of this modern overwhelm outside in the world by taking us on a journey of confusion, distraction and wonder with his 15 strange and eerie storytelling cubes. Filled with 6000 programmable LED’s and accompanied by a cleverly placed spatial audio. The cubes, whilst using millions of colours and abstracted audio, mesmerise us with light, shapes and sounds, flickering and filling every corner during this 20 minute experience.

Calm is restored, reflection is re-purposed back in the Darkroom when the lights come back on.

••••••

Natural situational portraits of Neurodivergent Bristol people, just being, will be hung on the the entrance walls.

Leading to:
The Darkroom space, which will be a walk through space to allow 200 people per 20 minutes.

A sensory experience informed by the challenges of neurodiversity in every day life.
You hear the birdsong, slowly you start to move and momentum builds during the sounds of breakfast, the door bell stands out like a scream, then everything falls back to silence.
The walk to the bus....momentum builds again, traffic gives a rhythm ........the emergency services deafen you.
Waiting on the platform in morning silence with the other commuters, no words just the rings and bleeps of notifications...the distraction of a train announcement,....you didn't listen , you hear the conversation far down the platform between the angry passenger and ticket collector.....

... the commute to work, the noise, the momentum and rhythm increases again, your heart rate is up,  breathing quickens. The hum of the office lights, the flicker of the boardroom lights. The overload of the work canteen. The five a side football in the park, the falling over ...the bounce of the ball
The evening drink on the way home. What do I say, how can I fit in?  Where can I sit that will feel ok? Listening to conversations over there, not present.

Calm and safety of home, the telly turned down the blue screen giving a buzz....to bed, the tick of Tinnitus.

Silence, sleep, solitude

••••••••

Production

The idea is to inform and illustrate the life of a neurodivergent person, specifically Autistic and ADHD. To start conversations and discussions around sensory sensitivity and how this can be disabling on a day to day basis.

I want to tell this story with both light and sound. We are currently researching many aspects of neurodiversity, to inform from an ethically sound platform, an experience that challenges the perceived “norm” of synaptic growth and pruning.

for example:

Synesthesia occurs when the stimulation of one sensory modality automatically evokes a perception in another unstimulated modality. In other words, one sensory experience activates another sensory experience. So synesthesia is defined as a joining of the senses; where, for instance, music may trigger colours, or words may trigger tastes.

The 15 cubes will be made from 77% re-cycled Fresnel plastic sheets. These will tell a story of colour and light. Using creative technology of pixel mapping the LEDs are controlled by DMX and Touchdesigner. Inspired by the stories told by the people in the portraiture….what effects them the most, …it could be noise, it could synesthetic and they see a colour when they experience a smell. We will sample real sounds from the streets, stations, bars and places of Bristol to use in accompanying audio track. The audio will also be used to further program the light.

Community Impact & Future Development:

At the exit of the experience, visitors will be invited to scan a QR code linking to a short piece of research. We are collaborating with neurodiversity experts to help further develop the installation, with the goal of adapting and re-purposing it for schools, workplaces, and community spaces across Bristol.

This phase of the project aims to go beyond the festival—to educate, foster empathy, and spark open conversations about what it’s like to live with neurodiversity. By making these sensory experiences accessible in everyday environments, we hope to create a deeper understanding and lasting positive social impact in the community.