Somnium has ‘leveled up’ its immersion for this year’s moving production at Sinnissippi Park

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The third installment of Somnium, an annual surrealist blend of performance and visual art, moves the production from its past industrial backdrops to a winding route between the trees.

It will also bring the audience to its feet — literally.

“Somnium: The Book of Forest Lament” utilizes the treescape at Sinnissippi Park, 1401 N. Second St., as the setting for its mix of  sculptures, light projection, music, dance, giant ominous puppetry, flow arts, film and animation. Rather than sitting stagnant in their seats, the audience will move through the woods — stopping at key points — to experience the roughly hourlong dreamlike story.

“Somnium is not just a spectacle — it’s a statement about the possibilities of public art,” said Emily Klonicki, who collaborated with internationally-recognized visual artist Eddaviel Montero to create Somnium. “By combining so many different mediums, it challenges traditional notions of how art should be experienced. Visitors aren’t passive observers; they become part of Somnium’s story.”

The first season of Somnium, “The Book of Dreams and Nightmares,” was set against the brick wall of a loading dock along Madison Street that artists transformed into a mural and backdrop for projection.

Then, for the second season last year, a riverfront industrial building on North Madison Street became the setting for “The Book of Water Myths and Legends.”

This year, as the audience winds through the woods, they will participate in elements that move the plot along.

You’ll be given an instrument, push through a portal made from fabric and light and be guided through the trail by living works of art such as a 100-foot snake.

“We would love for the audience to feel that they are really part of the production. We have very interactive elements that they play a role in,” Klonicki said.  “We’re always trying to immerse people in the experience, but this is leveled up — you are the experience. You’re making it as you’re experiencing it.”

The new setting also gives the more than 20 artists involved a bigger opportunity to showcase their own vision and creativity through their installations.

“Somnium is an individual-collective travel into the corners of human consciousness through art, dreams and creation, with the Sinnissippi forest as the playground of our immersive experiment this year,” said Montero, who has spent months bringing this vision to life in the dark woods of Sinnissippi Park.

The production has its own story and mythology, but it’s meant to allow audiences to interpret the experience on their own.

This year, Somnium is also paired with a festival with food trucks and art-themed activities in the hours leading up to the evening shows.

“Somnium has always been about exploring the boundaries of artistic collaboration and experimental expression, but this year we’re taking it to another level by expanding our event and exploring the connection between our environment and the arts,” Klonicki said. “We’re excited to offer a full weekend of interactive experiences that will engage, inspire, and challenge our audience.”

Know before you go | Somnium: The Book of the Forest Lament

Where: Sinnissippi Park, 1401 N. Second St., Rockford

When: 

Thursday, Oct. 10 | production only

7:30 p.m. Artists talk

8:30 p.m. Somnium production

Friday, Oct. 11 | Festival opening day

4 p.m. to 8 p.m. festival activities

8 p.m. Somnium production

Saturday, Oct. 12, Sunday Oct. 13

2 p.m. to 8 p.m. festival activities

8 p.m. Somnium production

Tickets: $25 in advance; $40 at the door; $10 for children 6-12; free for children 6 and younger

Info/buy tickets: experiencesomnium.com

Artists of Somnium: Odilius Vlak, Raymond Jáquez, Alizé Jireh, Jenny Mathews, Zach Stephens, Zheka Fedoseev and Valentina Fedoseeva, Maggie Arango, Ella Lakey, Xen Kingsley, Faith Minneyfield, Bill Houtkamp, Andrew Ehrhardt, Verónica Soria Martinez, Alan Saunders, Camilo Marte, David Stocker, Xen Kingsley, Eamonn Talkington, Prairie Smoke, and Chroma Club.

Somnium also introduces high school students to creativity through the Rockford Area Arts Council SPARK! Somnium Art Camp.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas