One thing that I am always going to be ready for is some sort of experiential activation happening around town. I can appreciate when all of my senses are triggered in the best way possible. At times it can be borderline sensory overload, but I am willing to risk it for the experience. DARKFIELD delivered in every way possible. Going in, I knew very little. I had seen a video from an influencer suggesting that it was a cool activity to do in Dallas. I knew that it was an interactive, immersive experience, but aside from that, much was unknown. In fact, the friends that I invited to come along for the ride knew even less. They trust me to plan our outings (or at least pretend to trust me) so they were told where to be and the cost of the tickets. We all arrived prepared for an “interactive experience” which in itself is quite a vague explanation, but despite some hesitation, we showed simultaneously expecting nothing and everything. There were three different experiences available so to get the best bang for our buck, we purchased a bundle ticket to experience all three.

First up was SÉANCE which transforms a shipping container into a Victorian séance room. You step into the container and take a seat at what appears to be an extra long dining table flanked by two rows of seats. Chandeliers hang from above while a pattern wallpaper adorns both sets of parallel walls. You are in complete darkness for 20 minutes. The type of darkness that even when your eyes completely adjust, yields absolutely nothing but more darkness. According to their website, “It explores the psychology of a group of people who have been bombarded with suggestible material and asks that they believe in what might be conjured up into the room with them.” I won’t divulge too many detail to avoid spoiling it for anyone who may experience this somewhere else in the world. Still to this day, I believe more what I heard and felt and less what the reality seemed to truly be.

The next experience was titled COMA. For this experience, you step into a shipping container that resembles a prison. Mind you, I have minimal reference of what a prison looks like, but this version had metal bunk beds stacked three high. An extremely narrow aisle separated both rows of sleeping quarters as a coffee maker sat towards the entrance. An odd placement for this object, but something that was observed by the entire group. Once again, you are in the dark, with the exception of a small vent that lies next to each headrest at the head of each bunk. Perhaps the vent was there for utilitarian purposes. Or perhaps someone was watching me lay there during this 20-minute experience. I will never actually know because I kept my eyes tightly shut the entire time. Between the auditory sensation of whispers, the breeze that I keep feeling and the sensation that someone or something was lurking alongside by bed, I didn’t know what to or not to believe. To make matters more interesting, upon entering this container, you are given a pill to take. A placebo, perhaps? Half of the group took the pill and half of the group opted not to. Which would you choose?

The final experience was titled FLIGHT. I must admit that I was less present for this experience. In hindsight, I think I was still thinking about SÉANCE which really left me thinking. Perhaps my mind was on the pill I had just taken. Either way, I recall being slightly distracted as we entered the third shipping container that resembled the interior of an airplane. The windows were all shut as we walked down the aisle to pick our seats. Oddly enough, I sat down and immediately fastened my seatbelt knowing that we would not be departing. Automaticity at its finest. The darkness was broken up by flickers of light. While sometimes still the cabin of the plane where we were seated vibrated and jolted at times making me not regret putting on my seatbelt. The visual effects (one in particular) were trippy and could be missed if your eyes weren’t left open so be sure not to shut your eyes (this time). The entire experience was giving Manifest. If you haven’t seen this show on Netflix, partake in the experience first. Then watch the show.

All around a truly remarkable experience. 10/10. No notes to give. Well, maybe one, but this is mostly against me. I am posting about this outing a few months after we attended so this is no longer available in Dallas. I know, I have failed you as an influencer. However, it is a traveling activation that has had global success so it may soon be in a city near you or one that you will soon travel to. As of the publish date of this post, they have activations in Toronto, London and Melbourne, but be sure to visit their site to see where their next stops will be.