INSPIRATION REPORT: SEPTEMBER VOLUME 7: EXPERIENTIAL ENVIRONMENTALISM, MALE BEAUTY PAGEANTS & THE ONE WITH THE POP UP
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NEW YORK, NY
ARCADIA EARTH BY VALENTINO VETTORI
OPEN NOW
ARCADIA EARTH Experiential artist, Valentino Vettori, has created Arcadia Earth with a powerful mission; save planet earth. As a part of his team, Vettori partnered with a who’s who of the experiential landscape (META/Justin Bolognino, Basia Goszczynska and more) to collectively create a new yet familiar world. Viewers are forced to come face-to-face with the harsh realities of our global ecosystems and encouraged to learn about how they can take action. Guests can use their smart phones or iPads to further expand the experience using augmented reality as they make their way through the 18-room, 15,000 sqft environmentalism exhibit reminding them, we’ve got the whole world in our hands.
NEW YORK, NY • $15-$33 WEBSITE
NEW YORK, NY
MACHINE HALLUCINATION BY REFIK ANADOL & ARTECHOUSE
MACHINE HALLUCINATION After first launching in Washington, DC, then setting up shop in Miami, Artechouse is taking on New York’s gallery district with a revolutionary new media space. Their new, permanent, 6,000 sqft space features Machine Hallucination as the first of many perceptionaltering experiences. Machine Hallucination, designed by Turkish artist, Rafik Anadol, is “an experiment in interwoven sensory experiences.” The immersive installation will be created using over 300 million pictures processed by artificial intelligence to uncover hidden connections between New York’s architectural history and these snapshots.
NEW YORK, NY • $17-$24 WEBSITE
OPEN NOW
LONDON, UK
DARLING HOUSE BY DARLING & EDGE
OPEN NOW
DARLING HOUSE Step through a painting on the wall and into the house party of your dreams. Darling House is a new extension of the restaurant, Hello Darling, nestled in London’s Waterloo neighborhood. Up to 60 guests are invited, Thursday through Saturday, to a hidden and intricately designed home for an immersive bar experience. After drinks are served out of a cupboard, guests have their choice of how and where they’d like to enjoy their drink. Possibly jumping on the bed? Or maybe while exploring the six whimsical rooms filled with art and oddities?…or perhaps they’ll choose to lounge in the bathtub while being serenaded by a drag queen? This one is dealer’s choice.
LONDON, UK • BY RESERVATION WEBSITE
LITCHFIELD, NH
NIGHTMARE NEW ENGLAND BY SPOOKYWORLD
NIGHTMARE NEW ENGLAND Sprawling over 80 acres in the backwoods of Merrimack River, SpookyWorld presents Nightmare New England. Began in 1991 as the original Haunted Hayride, Nightmare New England has grown into one of 25 Must-See Horror Attractions. In addition to five haunted attractions including The Festival of Fear, a chaotic clown carnival and The Colony, a hellish hillbilly hideaway, Nightmare New England boasts sideshow attractions, live music, go-kart racing, mini-golf, laser tag, laser maze, concessions, a fire pit, beer garden and more. Nightmare New England launches this fall with updates to its over mile-long haunted hayride on Friday, September 13th.
LITCHFIELD, NH • $40-$80 WEBSITE
OPENING FRIDAY, SEP. 13TH
NEW YORK, NY
THE ILLUMINATI BALL
BY CYNTHIA VON BUHLER & SPEAKEASY DOLLHOUSE
OCTOBER 4, 2019
THE ILLUMINATI BALL Described as the “most thrilling, surreal, unique and immersive masquerade ball in the world,” The Illuminati Ball is a one-night immersive theater event that is sure to be unlike anything you’ve seen before. Presented by Cynthia Von Buhler’s SpeakEasy Dollhouse, the 350 person experience will take place in a secret temple location in Manhattan. Guests are invited to dress to the nines and don a mask in a sensual and mysterious theatrical evening that features flame-performers, provocative dancers and interactive experiences spread throughout three floors designed with devious decadence. Each ticket also includes a copy of the graphic novel based on The Illuminati Ball.
NEW YORK, NY • $250-$650 WEBSITE
INDIA
DIWALI
RELIGIOUS CELEBRATION
DIWALI Diwali, or Dipwali, is India’s largest holiday of the year. Celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists, the holiday is a festival of lights that occurs over five days in late Autumn. While the Diwali interpretation changes from region to region, the essential crux of the story is the same—a victory of good over evil, light over dark. Homes are decorated with rows of clay lamps to protect from spiritual darkness and families create rangoli, beautiful and intricate sand patterns using colored powders. In addition to fireworks, feasts and festivities, Diwali is seen as the beginning of a prosperous new year and celebrates family, sibling and martial bonds.
INDIA • FIVE DAY FESTIVAL WEBSITE
OCTOBER 25-29, 2019
LAKE TRAVIS, TX
JAWS ON THE WATER
BY ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE & VOLENTE BEACH RESORT
JUNE - AUGUST
JAWS ON THE WATER Having just completed its fifth year, Jaws on the Water has achieved blockbuster success on the shores of Lake Travis, Texas. In quite possibly the most “immersive” movie-viewing experience possible, guests float in inter-tubes watching the classic shark-screener, Jaws, as their legs dangle precariously in the dark depths of the lake below. Although there’s no sharks in Lake Travis, throughout the movie, secret scuba divers provide under-the-surface scares to coincide with the film. This year, Jaws on the Water launched a newly redesigned shark-proof tube with a headrest and in exactly the perfect size for a Landshark beer—a cup holder.
LAKE TRAVIS, TX • $45 WEBSITE
NEW YORK, NY
THE FRIENDS POP-UP
BY SUPERFLY & WARNER BROTHERS
THE FRIENDS POP-UP After the success of their Seinfeld pop-up experience, SuperFly is back in a partnership with Warner Bros to bring Friends back to New York City. In The Friends Pop-Up, fans can walk through iconic moments from the hit show’s 10 year history. While browsing memorabilia, guests can do Monica’s Thanksgiving dance donning a silicon turkey on their head, “pivot!” a couch up a treacherous New York City staircase and stop for some classic photo ops in legendary locations like Central Perk. The pop-up sold out in 6 minutes, but the merchandise shop is open to the public and stocked with enough custom Friends swag to make even Regina Phalange jealous!
NEW YORK CITY • $35 WEBSITE
OPEN NOW
LONDON, UK
THE STORE OF MODERN CHILDHOOD
BY W COMMUNICATIONS & XYZ
AUGUST 28-29, 2019
THE STORE OF MODERN CHILDHOOD T h i s s u m m e r, T h e C h i l d re n ’s S o c i e t y commissioned W Communications and XYZ to create The Store of Modern Childhood, an installation illuminating the results of its Good Childhood Report 2019. One half of the exhibit focused on the harsh truths children experience growing up in Britain and included items like stab-proof vests, bruise concealer and phone cases with online bullying messages printed on them. The other half of the exhibit focused on a more positive outlook taking place in a saturated and bright space within the gallery highlighting messages of positivity, photography, art and poetry—a meaningful glance into what a modern child’s future could and should be.
LONDON, UK • OPEN TO PUBLIC WEBSITE
CHAD, AFRICA
THE GEREWOL FESTIVAL COURTSHIP COMPETITION
THE GEREWOL FESTIVAL The Gerewol Festival wanders with the Wodaabe tribe. Happening in gathering spots across the southern Sahara including Niger, Chad and Nigeria, the weeklong festival is a celebration of love and courtship. The men in the tribe beautify themselves with elaborate makeup, large headdresses and beaded outfits to show off their wealth and physical beauty, and after indulging in a fermented bark drink known to have hallucinogenic effects, they spend hours dancing under the hot sun to show their stamina to the women of the tribe. At the climax of the dance, the women have their choice of the men for an affair that could last a day or become a lifelong partnership.
CHAD, AFRICA • WEEKLONG FESTIVAL WEBSITE
SEP. 27 - OCT. 5, 2019
SEE YOU SOON
Hope you enjoyed this dose of inspiration. Keep us updated on what experiences are igniting your inspiration at srda@adamaleksanderpresents.com