Mental Illness Is Not A Crime | Haus of Beaver Productions
How was your Friday night? I spent mine in a room full of strangers drawing lines and dots across their skin, putting orbeez between my toes and eating sour straps. Mental Illness is Not a Crime was an hour-long sensory journey guided gently by Claire Fitzpatrick of Haus of Beaver Productions.
Claire welcomed the audience into the space, explaining ASMR and the types of sensations you can have, encouraging interaction and emphasising consent before sending us off into a dimly lit playground of food, paint, and weird objects.
ASMR is a pleasurable sensation brought on by a particular set of gentle stimuli. It has come in vogue in the last few years as a means of relaxation and stress-release. Claire expressed to us that the purpose of the show was to create a space for and make time to look after your mental health.
The event was more of an installation than a show, facilitating exploration and play. An undulating soundscape filled the room with an otherworldly atmosphere. Tents and noise cancelling headphones littered the floor. There was a wide assortment of things to poke and scratch and put your fingers in, particularly things which excited taste, smell, and touch – senses that don’t get a lot of attention in theatre.
The audience were quick to get involved and each interacted very differently to the installation, some went off on their own and felt objects while others came together and chatted while painting each other. I met a woman who likened this experience to something called ‘mess days’ that they had as her toddler’s daycare. It was a day where the toddlers were encouraged to get messy and indulge in ways that adults don’t often do anymore.
I enjoyed that interacting with these things weren’t tasks and we did them purely for the sake of feeling. Most of the experience was self-led which gave me a sense that there was no ‘right’ way to interact with this work. However, I think I enjoyed the facilitated parts the most as they brought new ideas and ways of seeing.
