Bravery and physical distinctiveness has always distinguished Gecko’s work. This latest piece has all the hallmarks of an outfit that have never been afraid to demand something of their audiences. They use visuals, lighting and sound in multilayered shows that are as much felt in the gut as they are understood in the head.
This is very much the case with Institute, which takes place in one of the oddest offices or strangest hospitals you have ever encountered. It’s a small city filled with towering filing cabinets and populated by damaged men who appear to be undergoing some kind of trauma therapy. At times, the place seems benign and supportive, but at others it feels cruel, even sinister in a Kafkaesque way. One moment the men link arms and dance in an unbroken chain; at others there are signs of coercion and control – there’s an extraordinary sequence where a man is manipulated like a rod puppet.
Two characters, Martin and Daniel, are at the heart of Institute. The former has been crushed by a woman’s rejection; the latter by expectations he and his family have piled upon him. Martin seems doomed to replay an evening with his lover in a restaurant, while moments from Daniel’s life keep leaking from the filing cabinets.
This is such a rich, visually stunning show, and its retro soundtrack offers a direct conduit into the past. It also uses ritual and the unconscious very well. Who, for instance, is the shadowy figure constantly falling backwards as if into eternity itself? So much of Institute is fascinating and vivid, yet so much remains bewildering. With more rigorous dramaturgy and greater clarity this would be a cracker; at the moment it’s a beautiful, frustrating puzzle.
• Until 20 January. Then touring to Lighthouse, Poole (0844 406 8666) and Hall for Cornwall, Truro (0187 226 2466).
