Reviewer – Alex Millar

The Public Reviews Rating:

Everything about this experience is damn near perfect, from the second you walk in to the foyer receive your show list, map & cupcake; to the moment you leave finding every experience to be hopeful, inquisitive and childlike. I left with my heart swelling and an impish grin. Why then only ‘damn near perfect?’ it was too human an experience to be perfect, it encompassed too much to be perfect and the experiences you will have dear reader are far too subjective to be ‘perfect.’

My afternoon was split in to 3 ‘shows’ The Smile Off Your Face by Ontroerend Goed, Me You Now by Emma Benson and finally When We Meet (Introduced As Friends) by Me & the Machine. As I sat down stairs in one of the 5 coloured zones (consult your map) waiting for my time to come; I began to realise that a few of the people loitering were ‘installations.’ After a little wander round (and consulting my map again) I found there to be a number of extras scattered over the 3 floors. These were not your Jazz pianist in Pizza Express fillers, no background noise here; these vignettes made the surrounding areas come alive, the building feels like a school and these pupils breathed life and texture in to us; the ghost like audience. There are also many bright young things (all curiously Fob watched) in place so you can’t get lost; a special note must go to this happy band as they not only had all the energy of a charity mugger, but also charm too boot, thank you all.

The Smile Off Your Face is a surreal tragicomic seduction; you are sat in a wheel chair, blindfolded, and (lightly) bound by the hands. With your disorientation just starting you are wheeled in to an airy room and introduced to a range of conversation snippets, music, encounters and an incredible feeling of adventure. At no stage did I feel hampered by being manipulated in and out of a wheel chair or, in danger when in close proximity to the performers. If anything I felt I didn’t give enough to my encounters. I want to say more about the piece because it excites me to think of it but, in all honesty I don’t want to spoil the surprise. It has to be lived not read.

After having come away from sharing more of myself than I have ever done in a performance, I needed a drink and a sit down to collect my bouncing thoughts. I then moved up three flights of stairs (encountering the visual splendour of Thom Shaw’s ‘Drag Mountain’ installation on the way) to my second rendezvous. A little wait and I opened the Alice in Wonderland type door to see Emma Benson sat below me in a little forest of sapling trunks, festooned with scented candles. I navigated my way to the other chair and what followed was a simple sing song of Puff the Magic Dragon (there were two other songs on offer but that one stuck out). As the previous performance was beautiful in its multi layers, this was beautiful in its timing and economy of action. Me You Now is all it is and it’s all the better for it. Thank you Emma.

Another wait before my final dark room encounter. This last performance was similar to the first in that my eyes, ears and movements were manipulated by outside forces, but in this case I had an audio track, a visual track & dancing partner. I think When We Meet (Introduced As Friends) suffered from scheduling rather than any faults in ideas or execution. It felt much like the last two performances had covered this ground and that I was trying to find excitement for it, had it been first on my list I think I would have felt differently.

In summation, stop reading this review, go to the BAC and inhale the wonders that make up the One-On-One Festival.

Runs until 18th July

One-on-One Festival - Battersea Arts Centre, London, 5.0 out of 5 based on 2 ratings

Tags: Battersea Arts Centre, Emma Benson, London, Me & the Machine, Me You Now, One-On-One Festival, Ontroerend Goed, The Smile Off Your Face, When We Meet