I took a detour through the woods. It led me to the gray space between roots where reality fades. Then I went inside the pyramid and stood in a circle of demons as they danced. This is Radiohead’s virtual exhibition, KID A MNESIA.
Everything looks a little janky in this virtual experience. The lifeless trees are hand-drawn and grayscale, the place populated with creepy stick figures rendered in 3D, and you never quite know if you’ve found all there was to find or if there’s a secret waiting to be uncovered.
I was delighted by my hour-and-a-half trip through Radiohead’s nightmarish blend of realities, even as I spent ten minutes running through the same space as words appeared on the walls. So many words. I also flew through space as I listened to the band’s music, because of course the music is the main attraction, and the soundscape is unnerving and compelling throughout.
There is a loneliness that pervades this world, one also conveyed by the music, some of which you can catch in a minuscule theater with a frowning occupant. I wonder if it’s a product of the pandemic, or simply an extension of Radiohead’s work.
If you don’t want to lurk around KID A MNESIA—which you can do on PC, Mac, and PS5—you can listen to the soundtrack on most services purveying music in this day and age.
Image source: Epic Games