25 November 2009 - 6:23 a.m.

(dream)

I was at a version of the Melbourne show, but it was a very different show to the real one. There were many, many stalls selling unrecognisable near-living objects and practical joke props. Most real life elements of the melbourne show were represented, but quite different in actuality.

There were a number of exhibits which were extra special forms of high-tech interactive illusion. When the illusion was active, you could see a completely different colourful environment, very similar to alice in wonderland. I realised that there was a glitch in it, because the illusion only really affects your eyes. If you took a photo, it would show things how they actually were. All animals and objects were specially trained living creatures, covered in special dark grey material for their contribution to the effect, in the same way a green screen works. Every object and plane was moving and fluid-like thanks to force feedback technology, reacting based on data from sensors covering every surface. All the people in the world were dressed in a creepy yellow outfit that somehow aided the illusion. At one point, I took a photo of myself. This caused a digital glitch on the screen of my camera which caused money to be generated inside a large plastic cylinder I was carrying. I kept doing it over and over because I was fascinated. I planned to donate the money it generated to the park on the way out, but then I had a realisation that there was some kind of sinister element to the setup, and I knew I had to get out of there.

Because of the nature of the environment, there was no way to hurt yourself, and you practically had super powers as a result of all the automated reactions to sensor data. When I figured this out, the people who set up the illusion started chasing me, as well as causing all parts of the exhibit to try to catch me. Knowing what this world allowed me to do, I was able to escape through the exhibit, out the main gate and onto the street, despite every element of the world grabbing at my heels, including the shadows cast by the gate beyond the borders of the park. I had to go back for something, and then I was able to see the real environment without the optical illusion. I escaped again, but this time it was slighltly easier to thanks to my new sight. I bounced across the surface of a pond because I could see there were many spring structures all across it to stop people from hurting themselves, and ran to the gate.

I made it out, and decided I wouldn't go back next year.

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