D Ý R A review - a little oasis of calm at Edinburgh fringe

For you if:

• You are frazzled by Fringe and want to calm your nervous system for an hour

Not for you if:

• You need to pee, there’s lots of sounds of dripping water that would make you go mad

In the basement of Summerhall in the former ladies locker room lies a little room wrapped in white linens, soft lighting playing across their folds and wrinkles. The floor is soft and visitors are invited to sit or lie down as they embark on their 50 minute journey of ambient sound.

This is D Ý R A an immersive sound installation created by SHHE music and inspired by Dýrafjörður in the Westfjords of Iceland. The room makes you feel like you are enveloped in a glacier which, after the hustle and bustle of busy Edinburgh streets in fringe season, is a beautiful experience on its own. The music uses ambisonic and hydrophone recordings and is presented in surround sound.

While the initial effect of the music and space combined is meditative and calm - an oasis at the centre of the mania of Fringe - I found myself soon wanting more. There is a lack of escalation or development in the experience that elevates this beyond a nice place to rest. My interpretation was that we travel from glacier slowly out to the sea? I can’t be sure and there was little to no signposting from lighting, sound or music. Unfortunately D Ý R A was (pardon the pun) pretty one note.

If you’re looking to calm your nervous system in the centre of fringe or a quirky and particularly lovely place to think and meditate, this might be just the ticket, but otherwise that £12 will go pretty far somewhere else at Fringe.