The Venus Labyrinth

The Venus Labyrinth is almost review-proof. It is an ambitious project that has turned The Arches into a large art installation with 28 one-to-one performances. Each audience member is allowed to visit only three chambers, meaning that one’s experience will not only depend on which performances they end up with but in which order they experience them.

The idea comes from Italian director Nullo Facchini and the performance company Cantabile 2. Versions of this play have been performed throughout the world, but the majority on show here is original work from Scottish-based artists.

The concept is this: each room contains a performer whose work is based on one of 28 known areas of the human brain. Themes include Balance, Speech, Muscle Control and Recognition, and the selection is made by choosing objects from a large table and presenting them to an ‘Oracle’, who tells you where to go and how to get there.

To explain more, or how the space is actually used, would be cheating. Suffice to say that the experience is wholly original and extremely well done.

My journey began pleasantly and became more sinister. My first stop was with Judith Williams, and her stories about her grandmother and the power of tea felt personal and moving without being overindulgent, and it proved an excellent starter.

My second visit, with Anna Rylance Murdoch, was a much more demanding experience that involved synchronised movement, a blindfold and a rather harsh story but was performed with equal relish and skill.

The final performance, by Charlene Boyd, can only be described as a personification of a nightmare. Constantly eerie with some rather difficult-to-stomach images and challenging involvement, Boyd’s performance at first made me uncomfortable but, with time and contemplation, has earned my admiration.

What one makes of The Venus Labyrinth is down to several factors, including piece selection and one’s ability to engage. There is no guarantee what one will take from the experience, but it is nonetheless an experience that is worth taking. It might make you laugh, think or just plain disturb you, but it will affect you. Do not miss it.