Dennis Severs House

On Monday the group that didnt go to Barcelona went to, as the title suggests, Dennis Severs house. This is a normal house built in the 1800s which the late owner Mr.Sever kitted out in the decour that may have been at the time the house was built. He also made a ficticious family and had their possesions laid about the house as if they were still living there. These included wigs, portraits, letters, half eaten food, clothes and even a live bird. The sound design was exceptional, fake talking in the room next door, squeaking floorboards in the rooms above, fake traffic noises outside the windows, It really made you feel like the people were still there and you had just missed them move to the next room.

The visit made me realise what the project was really about;
Atmosphere, a sense of reality and belonging to the surroundings. Interactive didnt mean the environment had to change radically, it just meant it had to be interesting, like someone lived there, not just static.