Thu 2 Oct - Sun 2 Nov
Undershed
Academy Award®-winning Tilda Swinton narrates four stories of people who live with ADHD in this multi-award-winning mixed reality experience by Anagram.
Impulse opens a window into four distinct experiences of people living with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Combining gameplay with first-hand lived experience the result is an immersive encounter with minds that can be exhausting and exhilarating, chaotic and creative. Impulse captures both the struggles and the inventiveness that come with ADHD.
Four stories from four very real people reflect on post-diagnosis life, shining a spotlight onto how ADHD shapes their thoughts, actions, and relationships. Impulse is an experience which invites reflection - to consider your own behaviours, to understand other experiences, and to gain an insight into why people act the way that they do.
Leanne turns her world into a game to escape boredom. Omar channels his restless mind into daring, risky heists. Errol creates a bold, adventurous persona to gain respect. And Tara is on the brink – of giving up.
"We dove into the multifaceted world of ADHD to try and make sense of the chasm between the internal and external experiences of the condition...It's a topic that takes you deep into a world of regret, anger and passion and it has brought out powerful reflections from audiences around the world."
- May Abdalla, CEO, Anagram
This experience contains flashing lights and themes of suicide and violence. Not suitable for children under 12 or people who are photosensitive.
Taking over the whole of the Undershed gallery, designed for Quest 3, Impulse uses mixed reality – blending the physical and digital - to immerse players into a gameplay with very personal narratives where you can experience the intensity, creativity and individuality of each of the four stories.
When you arrive, you enter the welcome area. A gallery assistant will greet you, talk you through what to expect, and answer any questions. You can leave your possessions here if you wish.
Once inside the main gallery space, the assistant will help you with the VR headset. The experience includes a game where you use the controllers to move virtual items, as well as four animated documentary stories from real people about living with ADHD. These stories are at times emotionally intense, reflecting complex and challenging moments from their lives.
After finishing the experience, a gallery assistant will be present to help if needed. You can spend time in a quiet reflection space, looking at comments, documents, images, and other visitors’ responses. You are invited to contribute your own thoughts, but this is optional. Reading material about the creation of the piece by Anagram is also available.
The full experience, from arrival to departure, takes around one hour. Gallery assistants will be on hand to support you throughout.
"Anagram’s work centres real-life experience in innovative and truly immersive ways..."
- Screen Daily
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting focus, impulse control, and energy management. It can look different for everyone — some are restless and constantly seeking stimulation, others quietly struggle with attention and organisation. In England, around 2.5 million people are believed to have ADHD, including many still undiagnosed.
Impulse highlights these inner experiences, showing both the challenges and creativity of living with ADHD.
Anagram is an award-winning creative studio specialising in thought-provoking interactive storytelling and immersive experience design. From meticulously designed theatrical sets to ancient buildings to just anywhere outside in the wild – each piece gets you entangled with a place. Anagram joined the Pervasive Media Studio in 2013.
Winners of the Grand Jury Prize at Venice Film Festival 2021 in the VR section, the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival Storyscapes award, the 2019 Sandbox Immersive Art award, part of the Best VR in 2019 at the Venice International Film Festival. Named in the Createch 100 ones to watch for 2020 by the Creative Industries Council and selected twice for Columbia University’s Digital Dozen Breakthroughs in Digital Storytelling (in 2015 and 2019).
Tickets are priced on a sliding scale, £4-12 per person, based on a pay-what-you-can model.
£12 - Pay it forward - Buy your own ticket and contribute towards a ticket for someone who cannot afford to attend
£9 - Rate 1 - You are comfortably able to meet all basic needs have expendable income.
£6 - Rate 2 - You may stress about meeting some basic needs but still regularly achieve them and employed have some expendable income.
£4 - Rate 3 - You often worry about meeting basic needs, are unemployed or underemployed, qualify for government or voluntary support, and have little or no expendable income.
You may also wish to select a Rate 2 or 3 ticket if a concession often applies to you, for example if you identify as:
24 years old or under
unemployed or underemployed
single parent
living solely on state pension
refugee / asylum seeker
Deaf or disabled
Companion tickets are available for those on our access register. See Access at Undershed for details.
We recommend you book tickets for Impulse: Playing with Reality in advance online, in person at Box Office or by phone on 0117 927 5100.
Your ticket gives you access to the timed session you have booked for. It will show you the start and end time of your session. Please arrive on time for your session or you may not be able to complete the experience within your timeslot. The piece runs for 40 minutes with up to 10 minute for onboarding, and some time for reflection at the end.
There is a maximum capacity of 6 in the gallery at any one time, with each person having a headset in their own section of the gallery.
Find out more information about Access at Undershed. If we can do anything to make your visit to Undershed easier, please get in touch with us - just email communications@watershed.co.uk and we'll be happy to help.
Mixed reality (MR) means the headset has cameras on the front, allowing it to see your surroundings. Animations can appear layered over the physical space. The headset is untethered, so you can move around freely and explore the virtual elements at your own pace.
Undershed is open:
Mon: 12:30 – 20:30
Tue, Thu: 12:00 – 20:00
Fri: 12:30 - 20:30
Sat: 10:30 - 20:30
Sun: 10:30 – 19:00
The experience has a capacity of 6 people in the gallery at any one time, so we recommend pre-booking. However, any unbooked slots are available for walk up customers to box office.
There is a maximum capacity of 6 places for the experience in the gallery at any one time, with 3 places bookable every half hour.
Each person will have a dedicated section of the gallery so the experience is accessible for those who prefer social distancing.
Impulse: Playing with Reality has a PEGI 12 rating, so no-one under the age of 12 can participate. Anyone accessing the experience under the age of 16 should be accompanied by an adult/guardian.
The experience features bright lights and dark themes.
Your ticket gives you access to the timed session you have booked for. It will show you the start and end time of your session. Please arrive on time for your session or you may not be able to complete the experience within your time slot. The experience lasts up to an hour including onboarding, and some time for reflection at the end.
Impulse: Playing with Reality is a three-part mixed-reality experience using a Meta Quest 3 VR headset, and hand controls. The experience features bright lights and dark themes. It is chaotic and creative.
The game represents some of the feelings and experiences associated with ADHD, including overwhelm. The narrative stories are documentary tales from people with ADHD. It is designed for people who may be interested to understand ADHD, or who are interested in the representation of ADHD in an art and games.
The experience is not accessible to blind or partially sighted people, as there is no audio description available, and the game relies on sight to move elements inside the virtual space.
There are captions available for Deaf and hard of hearing audiences. Please ask the gallery assistant if you would like these activated.
The experience can work for those who would prefer/need to be seated. Please ask the gallery assistant and they will set this up for you.
We are unable to provide masked sessions to this experience due to the structure of overlapping sessions. All sessions however, are socially distanced as this is a single person experience. Visitors will have a section of the gallery to move around in.
Our gallery assistants can also help you to alter the brightness of the experience if you find it too bright or dark. They can also help you to set a comfortable audio volume if you feel the experience is too loud or quiet.
The environment will be lit by coloured light and we have a reflection area if the experience becomes overstimulating.
If we can do anything to make your visit to Undershed easier, please get in touch at communications@watershed.co.uk, we'll be happy to help.
For more details on accessibility visit the Access at Undershed page.
The experience contains bright lights and colours and may trigger those with photosensitive epilepsy. The environment will be lit by coloured light and we have a reflection area if the experience becomes overstimulating.
There are no dedicated relaxed visits available for Impulse: Playing with Reality, this is because the experience is a single person experience. Our Gallery Assistants can help you to alter the brightness of the experience if you find it too bright or dark and they can also help you to set a comfortable audio volume if you feel the experience is too loud or quiet.
If you would like a tour to familiarise yourself with the environment, then please contact us to arrange this. Undershed@watershed.co.uk
To keep up to date about Watershed's accessible events please sign up to ourAccessible Mailing List. You can also let us know about your access requirements by signing up to ourAccess Register.
There are also no dedicated Masked and Socially Distanced slots for Impulse: Playing with Reality again because the experience is a single person experience and the brightness and volume can be changed in the Quest 3 VR headset to suit sensitivities and each participant is in a specific section of the gallery that is distanced from other visitors.
You are very welcome to wear a mask but we’re unable to guarantee that other visitors or staff will be wearing them too.
We welcome resting at any point while you’re in Undershed. We have a reflection area where you are invited to sit and respond to the work or just take a quiet time out if you want to. There is seating in both the welcome area and in the exhibition space. There are also yoga mats and blankets if you need to lie down at any point - please speak to a Gallery Assistants if so.
Impulse: Playing with Reality is a single person mixed-reality experience with a headset, so for this exhibition we are unable to accomodate a parent/guardian who is in sole care of a baby/toddler.
Yes, in the welcome area of Undershed there are spaces to leave your belongings while you are inside the exhibition. A gallery assistant will be in this area at all times.
Unfortunately, if you are late for your booked session, we are unlikely to be able to run you through the experience, as our time slots are very specifically timed to the length of the piece. This would mean other visitors would be pushed later. Please try to arrive a little early to avoid missing your slot.
Yes - but please do not take or share images of people without permission whilst they are participating in the work.
No - but the Café & Bar is on the first floor for refreshments before and after your visit to Undershed. And our Undershed bar opens onto the walkway outside for drinks or ice cream.
Yes. You are welcome to use any of the toilet facilities in Watershed then come back into the space. However, please note that we will finish your time slot promptly and this may mean curtailing your experience.
We aim to produce regular themed and curated shows, plus a series of takeovers and showcases. If you would like the Undershed curatorial team to consider your work outside of these themes, please fill out this form. Unfortunately, due to the number of enquiries we are not able to provide responses or feedback.
Undershed is new space for us and we're excited to welcome you to it. We know there will be things we can improve on and adapt. Please send us your thoughts and any outstanding questions you have - email us on communications@watershed.co.uk or have a chat with one of our Gallery Assistants.
We also invite you to give feedback in the reflection area and follow the QR codes in the gallery to complete our online survey.
Undershed Gallery is located on the ground floor of Watershed – the entrance is to the right of the Box Office desk. If you haven't visited Watershed before, check out our Visit page for access, location and transport information.
Credit: Paul Blakemore
Undershed is a new gallery for showing the best immersive and interactive artwork from all over the world. The first of its kind in Bristol and rare across the UK – this dedicated space will stage themed exhibitions that change every few months.
Undershed is a place to come together and experiment with new forms of storytelling. Come on in, keep an open mind and tell us what you think.
With thanks to our sponsor Redcliffe Imaging
Or call Box Office: 0117 927 5100
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