Making a social media post while riding the escalator to Luxor’s Atrium level could create a blink-and-miss moment on the way to Particle Ink, the property’s latest attraction. You’ll find it though, and the 7 p.m. start time is loose enough to allow stragglers to explore the entirety of this strange new world that boldly goes where no immersive entertainment experience has gone before.
More than a few excited attendees in 2022 stumbled upon Particle Ink’s predecessor, Speed of Dark, which made its debut in Las Vegas’ Arts District. The new Strip iteration, which features the original cast and crew of Speed of Dark, is all about expression with light and darkness, presented by a half-dozen or so cast members who interpret what is tantamount to a graphic novel come to life via live illuminatory art, projected text, dance, combat and puppetry.
It is a puppet who greets and entertains guests who enter the main room and surround a performance area in a half-circle before the show starts proper. He’s a crack crowd work comedian in a small dragon-shaped form who confides that there are aspects of the show only visible to “those with hearts to see them. Children mostly, and some adults such as those who have drank ayahuasca!”
Then the crowd is pitched into darkness, save for six glowing, waist-high obelisks in the middle of the room. An impish artist arrives on the scene, working with glowing pigments and interacting with a childlike animated figure that serves as the soul of the surreal narrative as the pages of the living graphic novel turn and plot points move the action forward.
A tall, dark, shrouded, mysterious figure enters the room and initiates the evening’s avant-garde choreography. The first of multiple surprises occurs during this segment, which segues into a duel between two principal Particle Ink participants.
Then it’s onto another room, but first there is the hallway-cum-canvas. The layout of Particle Ink is genius, making the most of its square footage so the venue appears more expansive than it actually is. Gracious attendants demonstrate the spray paint cans that allows passersby to tag the walls with luminous graffiti.
A bed with posts draped in a see-through canopy is the centerpiece and a lithe, limber dancer is the star of the next segment, which blends animation and live performance even more ingeniously. It’s a sit-down room with benches and pillows strewn about with enough attention to give everyone space and a good sightline, another example of making the most of the space.
The abstract story continues to unfurl from room to room. More dynamic dancers appear, with furious floor spinning executed during the proceedings. A tentacled creature hides in the shadows, making its presence known when it’s ready. The puppet returns. Our childlike figure completes tasks that make it self-actualized.
Then it’s over, and the feeling that remains is one of satiation as experienced after seeing Star Wars or a concert for the first time. Except this is cutting edge and novel, graphically so. It’s avant-garde performance art that takes tech-infused Vegas entertainment to the next level.
Luxor. particleink.com
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