Sigur Rós: Ára

This afternoon we attended a musical event with a difference. Sigur Rós: Ára is billed as ‘a fully immersive listening experience, expanding the sonic universe of Sigur Rós to new sensory dimensions’. In a small black box theatre, an audience of around 35 people sit or lie on beanbags, surrounded by the kind of darkness absolute enough that sometimes I wasn’t sure whether my eyes were open or closed. The music seems to come from all around you. Occasionally a sweet scent floats into the room. Now and again an abstract projection glows dimly into view on the ceiling, brightening a little as the music crescendos. For most of the 75 minute duration however, it’s possible to begin forgetting that you have a body at all. For me, it was somewhat reminiscent of the experience I had using a sensory-deprivation tank for the first time. I focussed on the music, or the music and my breathing. I tried not to try to make sense of the projected images, but the rational mind is difficult to turn…