We often wonder if there is life on Mars, but what do martians make of life on our planet? This question is explored through Future Cargo, an intriguing science fiction project helmed by Realscape Productions. The minds behind the Darkfield shipping container immersive experiences offer us a similarly engrossing interactive experience that merges visual storytelling and contemporary performance art.
In an open-air grassy pavilion, a freight hauler sits opposite the audience. A reclusive driver sitting in the cabin (played by actor Tobias Manderson-Galvin) bemoans the traffic jam as he placates his dog. The audience listens to pre-recorded dialogue and music through provided headsets. Timed to the onset of twilight, the container on the truck rolls open to reveal a trio of mysterious, silvery clad figures. With carefully subtlety, the figures gracefully unfold as they are moved across the internal space via conveyor belt. As they are rotated across the screen again and again, their movements change from careful and controlled to a fluid and eclectic form of contemporary dance.
The movements, music and aesthetic of the production are all distinctly alien and surreal. The captive dancers are enigmatic as they perform seemingly inane tasks replicating human behavior; pouring a drink of water, brushing hair and patting a dog all become ritualized actions of movement, as though each repetition brings them closer to an authentic experience of life on Earth. A transparent screen separates us from alien figures, and yet the boundaries separating us from this mysterious dimension seem superficial.
The dialogue is sparse throughout the show, with the exception of our truck driver and some radio broadcasted interviews of fearful citizens projecting their own superstitions onto the alien phenomena. As the audience, we are free to interpret these silvery visitors as they experiment with form and function with the various objects that enter and exit their interdimensional space. Are these imitations wholly innocent, or is there a more sinister purpose to their actions? Do we embrace or reject such creatures as they adapt to our behaviors and further assimilate among us? The answers are left to personal judgment.
Ethereal and enigmatic, Future Cargo is a multidimensional contemporary dance experience like no other, and a subtle meditation on our relationship with the unknown. A stunning visual collage of extraterrestrial wonder.
FIVE STARS *****