THe Chair from Scapegoat

Scapegoat

Scapegoat was an immersive urban noir live action event produced by Sinking Ship Creations. Astheir website describes, “Scapegoat combined elements of cyberpunk, modern fantasy, and political thriller while using all of New York City as its backdrop.” Participants travelled across the city, ‘hiding in plain-sight’, as members of a secret arcane society. Together they wove an intricate tale of mystery, romance, and blame culminating in the Scapegoating; a ceremony of ritualistic banishment by which unlucky victims were voted to be setn to the Chair.  

The Chair

The look of the Chair was designed with the cyberpunk, urban-fantasy aesthetic of Scapegoat in mind. A magical form of near execution, the Chair was designed to look and feel utilitarian and imposing. When a participant sat down on the Chair, they were strapped in with padded straps. An oxidized copper head-cage was pulled down over their face and then the excution would begin. With fog rolling over their feet, a loud electrical feedback track would play as the runes under their hands would begin to glow. When the sound faded, the runes would drain, and then the scapegoating would be complete.

The runes were lit by LEDs controlled by an Arduino wired into the back of the chair. The runes could be cycled through a ‘filling’, ‘pulsing’, and a ‘draining’ animation. The three animations could be controlled by an actor on stage with a handheld remote. The fog effect was accomplished by two aquarium atomizers. Although sound was handled by the venue, the Chair also had its own speaker wired near the Arduino as a backup.

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