The first thing you notice as you approach Saint Philip’s, is that the church is weirdly out of place in Salford: a late-Georgian Greek Revival style round tower rises above the surrounding rooftops. As if this wasn’t a stunning enough venue, we are heading below ground, as – uniquely – Patient 4620 takes the form of a self-guided audio tour around the expansive and dimly lit catacombs that stretch beneath Saint Philip’s.
Finished artwork and rough sketches by the (fictional) once-famous artist Gretel Sauerbrot, are displayed in various alcoves, alongside bricked up cells, which – according to the church website – still contain bodies. This adds immensely to the all-pervading uneasiness of the presentation.
As I was unaccompanied and you walk around at your own speed, I was completely alone – underground, in near-darkness – for the duration. Again, this adds to the unnerving experience hugely. The crypt is very creepy; several arched brick tunnels are partially blocked, but you can see they stretch away into the distance and the blackness. As with all horror, it’s what you don’t see that fuels the imagination. The lighting is very effective – and used very sparingly to retain the sepulchral air; there are shadows, dark corners, vaulted ceilings, a maze of tunnels, dead ends and of course, the dead themselves. There is no better setting for this type of experience.
I’m struggling to categorise this event, because ‘installation’ is too dry and doesn’t do it justice. The production company Dread Falls Theatre call it “immersive theatre”. It uses sight, sound, touch and smell to create an atmosphere and they suggest you immerse yourself fully in it to gain the full experience. And that’s exactly what I did.
The piece begins by intentionally wrong-footing you into thinking this is a rather staid gallery audio tour with the narrator’s prim voice describing the life and work of her friend, the famous – and missing – artist, Gretel Sauerbrot. The first painting shows two people in a room with no door; they have no faces, so immediately you are presented with something unsettling, claustrophobic and bizarre. I couldn’t say what, but I had an inexplicable feeling that something terrible was going to be unveiled. In the background of the audio were strange and ethereal effects, which were chilling in their own right, very evocative and really set a foreboding note.
Suddenly, an urgent, ghostly voice in your ear suggests you are being watched. “No, over here! Down here! Look!” I did look. Thankfully, there were just bare bricks and darkness.
The paintings become more disturbing, more unhinged, but always in a way that is indefinable. They are the stuff of nightmares, but only hinted nightmares; you fill in the blanks, so they’re YOUR nightmares. The accompanying audio files for each exhibit become shorter, so the pace picks up and the tension is heightened towards its terrible conclusion.
The artist is committed to a psychiatric hospital, where she produces some of her most disturbing and demonic work, displayed here bathed in a red light. She is never heard of again.
I was quite on edge as I approached the end of the exhibition, because I knew something was going to happen… Something terrible, but I couldn’t imagine what… And I’m going to leave you guessing…
Victoria Snaith wrote the piece and is the artistic director of Dread Falls Theatre. She provides the audio narrative and even sells tickets on the door. She has woven fairytale elements into this story of madness and horror, deception, and the warping of reality. “The play is strongly Lovecraftian,” she told me, “and follows Lovecraft’s premise that if you glimpse the truth it will drive you mad.”
I think I glimpsed the truth. Even after I’d stepped out into the bright Salford sunshine, I was haunted by the eerie story for the rest of the day.
This is something very challenging and very different. It is an experience. It is very creepy, and for that reason is probably not for everyone, but the setting, the story, the exhibits and the conclusion all work together to make this something memorable and rather special.
If you dare, you can catch Patient 4620 on Saturday 6th July from 12pm, again at Saint Philip’s Church Crypt, Salford. https://manchesterfringe.eventotron.com/?event=34707
Reviewer: Gray Freeman
Reviewed: 5th July 2019.
North West End Rating: ★★★★
