Over the last eleven years, dreamthinkspeak’s immersive, site-specific shows have taken me to an atmospheric registry building in Edinburgh, a former abattoir in London, a disused department store in Brighton, a former town hall in London and now to a vacant office building and car park as part of Hull’s year as UK City of Culture. (That’s not counting their brilliant take on Hamlet at Riverside Studios as part of the World Shakespeare Festival in 2012!). As ever I am in awe of the extraordinary efforts they go to in planning, designing and building their unique experiences.
For this one, we visit the offices of Kasang, a high-tech South Korean corporation. We’re told that they, and all other South Korean corporations, owe their success and progress to democratisation, which became a reality after the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, which started with students but gained momentum and overthrew the military government. With our tablets in hand, we experience the future of retailing, live gaming and virtual reality in parallel with flashback experiences of military rule, imprisonment and memorial of the events that led up to the freedom which has produced these perceived dividends. Moving through several floors of the building, we navigate a maze of corridors and rooms on a linear journey where I somehow finally lost all others and ended up alone in a vast space, deeply moved.
In addition to an extraordinary theatrical experience, I learnt something new about 20th Century Korean history; somewhat topical as it turns out. It was only the third day, so it will get tighter and slicker, but it’s a must for immersive and site specific junkies like me and may well prove to be the highlight of Hull’s year as UK City of Culture. On until 1st October, it’s a must.
Gareth's Culture and Travel Blog 
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