Go back in time to the year of 1958 when glamourous dinner parties and cabarets were aplenty.
A young woman wins the jackpot on the Premium Bonds and celebrates by checking into the exclusive Pavilion Suite at the fashionable Winter Gardens Hotel.
ABSENT takes you on a mesmerising journey like no other through the bygone era of Blackpool’s iconic Winter Gardens. From the moment you step into the Winter Gardens Hotel you feel transported into another period in time where the staff greet you with the upmost care and attention to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. The reception area is set amidst grand chandeliers and beautiful architecture which will literally take your breath away.
After having a browse of the local newspaper and taking in the grandeur, we were kindly escorted to begin our journey in small groups down a long and slightly eerie dark hotel corridor until a single-bedded room appeared in the distance. Videos of a mysterious woman started playing, which uncovered the beginning of this unforgettable experience.
Another lady in the room opposite started dancing, unpacking and making herself comfortable, we felt like a fly on the wall watching this theatrical woman.
Moving on along corridors and hidden spaces gave a sense of mystery and curiosity about the place. Rooms that appeared the same but almost slightly different at as same time. Models of tiny rooms identical to the ones walked past gave a new and thought-provocative perspective of the hotel.
A little while later a larger and much more spacious room appeared which seemed to have been emptied of all furnishings. Why was this particular room different? It felt like a mystery was being uncovered, things were beginning to fall into place.
Suddenly, the music had begun to change tone from a jolly, uplifting tune to an increasingly sinister and haunting sound track changing the journey dynamics.
Continuing to travel through the array of spaces and down the stairs we discovered a 1950’s style tea rooms complete with waitresses, set tables and even slices of fresh cake. It felt like we had almost been transported back in time into a world like never before experienced.
Curiosity and a kaleidoscope of questions started building as the experience became a blurry fantasy. The array of vast spaces used in The Winter Gardens was very clever and let your imagination run, tantalizing your senses with encounters in light, touch, smell and even illusions.
You really can uncover your own imaginations and conclude the journey with your own interpretations. The experience draws to a close by revealing Blackpool’s spectacular Empress Ballroom within The Winter Gardens after a glamourous dinner party has ended.
Overall, ABSENT was a very engaging and charismatic experience which left us wondering what was real and had actually happened and what wasn’t. It was only until a couple of days after I realised the whole story-line did not indeed take place but a magical illusion.
Written by: Anna Bamber
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