Contents Foreword Dedication Why This Book? The Past and Present Inform the Future Narrative Placemaking in Built Environments Form and Function Follow Fulfillment The Shared Place: Why Do We Need It? We Are Social Animals The Luxury of Idleness Why Start with Story? Identity and Impact: A Place Stands for Something What Does It Mean to Give Identity to a Place? Understanding the Values Design with Intention: The Promise of the Shared Place Building a Community: We Are What We Repeatedly Do Shifting Perspectives Waking Up from a Trance Make Time for Playtime Immersing in Nature Embracing Collective Rituals Valuing Creation and Connection Over Consumption Everything Old Is New Again One Pot at a Time: Letting Go of Perfectionism A Story within a Story
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Reimagining Places for People, Play, and Purpose Reimagining Theater Reimagining Malls and Retail Reimagining Hotels Reimagining Theme Parks Reimagining Museums and Cultural Institutions Reimagining Public Parks and Gardens Conversations with Dreamers and Designers “Obsession with the Viewer”: A Conversation with Joe Rohde “Being Your Own Main Character”: A Conversation with Evan Kwee “More Storytelling in Design”: A Conversation with Bob Weis “Sacred Shenanigans”: A Conversation with Barbara Groth ”The Selfless Architect”: A Conversation with George Proctor “Lovable Cities”: A Conversation with Mark Wee “Moment of Wow”: A Conversation with Diana Williams “There is No Form”: A Conversation with Fabien Riggall “Listen”: A Conversation with Nancy Seruto “Immersion from the Neck Up”: A Conversation with Taylor Stoermer “Desirability”: A Conversation with Welby Altidor “Moving My Body”: A Conversation with Bryce Kerrison A Final Thought: Creativity Starts with Curiosity Acknowledgments Recommended Reading List Author Bio End Notes
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Alice laughed. "There's no use trying," she said: "one can’t believe impossible things." "I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” —Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There
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Foreword Bob Weis, Global Leader, Entertainment at Gensler and former President of Walt Disney Imagineering When I try to summarize my thirty-five years at Walt Disney Imagineering, and my outside practice, it all comes down to two things—people and storytelling. Storytelling is the product, and it is fundamental to the process of creation. And everything, as Walt Disney believed, takes people to make it a reality. With so many of us devoting our careers and lives to creating and storytelling, I had so much gratitude for Margaret Kerrison, and her first book, Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds. My only wish is that she had written it sooner! Now we all have another chance to learn from Margaret’s passion in a second book, Reimagined Worlds: Narrative Placemaking for People, Play, and Purpose. And this one goes deeper, as anyone who knows Margaret would expect. When you collaborate with Margaret, you expect someone with passion and energy, and you also know she will always bring it back to center: Why are we doing this? What is the story we are telling? What do we want people to feel? This time Margaret reaches under the hood, into the real working engine of the creative process to give designers techniques to be intentional in their designs, to bring the tools of storytelling into every space we create, places we inhabit, places that shape our everyday lives, and places that form the heart of our communities. In my six years as President of Walt Disney Imagineering, I expected fun, I expected surprises, and I expected challenges. I could never have predicted a pandemic would appear, spread globally in a matter of a few weeks, and rattle the world to its very foundations. It was inconceivable that all theme parks, all public facilities around the world could close, and, in just one day, our entire community of Imagineers would go from people in collaborative workspaces to people at home, working on their kitchen tables or otherwise improvised spaces, and collaborating via thousands of screens. 7
But Imagineers, like all creators, are defined by their resilience and their dedication to their projects and their people. As soon as all those artists, designers, ride inventors, architects, engineers, scientists, technology innovators, authors, and so many others, saw the opportunity to return to life, to return to the power of collaboration, they were ready. And we all were armed with a renewed sense of confirmation that human culture is based on social interaction. People want to go out, they want to be together, and they want to tell stories, live stories, and share their emotions. This explosion of creative interest in shared experiences makes Margaret’s second book all the more timely. It is a call to action for designers—don’t waste any opportunity, be more mindful, put people first. Create places that are human-centered and narrative-driven. Look around the table and make sure your team reflects the diversity of thought and background needed to create something relevant to all visitors today. And let’s do this everywhere we work. For some reason, storytelling was not included in the courses required for me to graduate from architecture school. But it was not form equals function, or less is more either. We all told stories, and the best students and instructors and visiting lecturers told the best stories. But they were stories about the architect’s journey, how they endeavored to conceive the vision of a design and carry it forward. This way of thinking continues in many ways today. Story is often thought of as if it were site context, or history, or process toward design vision. Because of my theater background, story has always heavily influenced my design work. And the slate of work I have done has proven to me that using story as the defining objective is critical. And when I say story, I mean the outward-facing story of the visitor, or guest, not our story as the creators. The two stories are certainly interwoven—the audience and the storyteller who choreographed the experience are involved in the same exchange. But in built environments, the visitor may never know the storyteller, might not even know who they are. Places evolve and change, uses change, owners change. To leave a compelling mark means not to just have your vision or your story, but to
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have a story that can become the visitor’s story. They will evolve it, and it will change and adapt when they bring their friends, their children, or maybe even their children’s children. So I invite all designers of places to read Margaret’s book. Hand it out to your teams, as I myself have, and talk about it. I believe you’ll find out there is often a missing piece, an empty seat at the charrette or planning table, that we should all fill. And reach out to Margaret, she is capable of adding depth and dimension to any topic she puts her mind to. I’ve seen her, and she is nothing short of remarkable as a collaborator, and a joy to work with. And let’s hope our next generation of projects reflect people and their stories. The narratives are ready to be written, and we can all learn more about how to write them. Bob Weis
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Dedication To all future storytellers and designers, The future is now. May you be driven with purpose to benefit the public good. May you be empowered by empathy, optimism, creativity, and innovation To awaken and transform our minds By imagining a better life for us all. Thank you for reimagining our world. This is a story that starts with you And continues With us all.
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Why This Book? In my first book, Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds, I developed a guide for writers working in the immersive storytelling space. It serves as a writer’s reference for storytellers to consider various tips, tools, and techniques to hone their craft. I use my personal tool, the S.T.O.R.Y. Method, to ask five big questions: 1. S - Why Share this story with the world? 2. T- What’s the Theme? 3. O - What makes it One-of-a-kind? 4. R - Upon Reflection, why are you the best person to tell the story? 5. Y - What does the guest Yearn? What is their wish fulfillment? Understanding the WHY of your story helps to develop the story you want to share with the world. I introduced the ISQ Experience Wheel to ask the Why, What, When, Who, Where, and How of any experience and used some of my favorite examples of theme park lands, attractions, museums, and other immersive experiences to illustrate my process. Many readers have reached out to me and asked whether they could use the principles, tips, tools, and techniques outlined in my first book to design “ordinary places” such as stores, restaurants, libraries, parks, and other public places. My answer is a resounding YES, and this second book is my attempt to explore that question. In this book I ask the questions “Why not?” and “What if?” My goal is to imagine, if you will, a future roadmap for our “formerly favorite places” for people, play, and purpose. I want to reimagine our “third places,” a term Ray Oldenburg coined in his book The Great Good Place. This book is a designer’s manifesto and call to action for human-centered, narrativedriven, experiential design. Now that many of us are working from home, our third place has become our second place. In fact, there’s really no need to attach a number to our places anymore. Our former “third places” have become our “shared places.” These shared places are no longer as popular as they used to be. Now that everything is accessible online, from our shopping
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to our socializing, we are no longer dependent on our community to provide these services to us. We don’t know our neighbors anymore. We no longer have specialized skills or trades that require us to seek out certain people to do certain jobs. Access to the world is literally at our fingertips. We don’t need people anymore. Or do we? In a 2023 report published by the US Surgeon General titled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,”1 key data suggests that “approximately half of U.S. adults report experiencing loneliness, with some of the highest rates among young adults.” We don’t realize how social connection is a basic human need, as essential to survival as food, water, and shelter. Our ability to rely on each other was critical to our survival, and the need for proximity to people is still wired in our brains. Most of us are feeling terribly lonely. Especially after the pandemic lockdown, it has become clear to us that we are longing to reconnect, feel a sense of belonging, and have the desire to experience life fully again with the people that we care about and with new friends. In a 2021 report2 by the Making Caring Common project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, there were three key findings: ź 36% of respondents reported serious loneliness—feeling lonely ”frequently” or ”almost all the time or all the time” in the four weeks prior to the survey. This included 61% of young people aged 18 to 25 and 51% of mothers with young children. ź 43% of young adults reported increases in loneliness since the outbreak of the pandemic. About half of lonely young adults in our survey reported that no one in the past few weeks had ”taken more than just a few minutes” to ask how they are doing in a way that made them feel like the person ”genuinely cared.” ź Young adults suffer high rates of both loneliness and anxiety and depression. According to a recent CDC survey, 63% of this age group are suffering significant symptoms of anxiety or depression.
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Studies have shown that we need people more than ever. Social media does not and cannot replace in-person interactions because they provide inauthentic and “lower quality” connections. We need to gather in shared places so that we may expand our in-person social connections and increase the frequency in which we bump into friends and strangers alike. And yet, we aren’t prioritizing them as a society. In fact, many of these places are vanishing from the fabric of our everyday lives. If shared places are rapidly disappearing, what’s replacing them? How are we, as a society, finding new places to casually meet and mingle with people from all walks of life? How do we find connection and belonging in a world in which we do most things, even socializing, within our homes? How can we create community in new places or reimagine these former “third places” into dynamic places again? People, Play, and Purpose I believe that all shared places, when they are fully realized, should be places for people, play, and purpose. They should bring people together in meaningful ways, encourage play and connection with one another, and fulfill a greater, deeper purpose. Ultimately, a shared place needs to accomplish this one feeling: I am here. Right now. With you. A shared place should make us pay attention to where we are, connect us to the present moment, and make us appreciate who we are with (which includes being by ourselves). It’s a place that allows us to be in the moment and find fulfillment in the “simple, more important things” like spending time with ourselves or with our family and friends, laughing, exploring, discovering, experiencing something new together, and perhaps, meeting strangers that have the potential to become our friends. A compelling shared place “suspends our disbelief” so that we can forego reality, accept who we are and what is around us, and simply feel and be present. It should encourage us to escape, relax, connect, play, learn, be in awe, and feel transformed. It should make us feel fully
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realized and appreciate our place in the larger context of the world. Most importantly, a shared place makes us feel seen, heard, valued, and empowered. As a writer, storyteller, frequent traveler, immersive experiences enthusiast, and former Imagineer, I’d like to take you on a journey of shifting your perspectives on “what could be” rather than “what is.” This is an exploration of imagining worlds that do not yet exist. My goal is to explore the boundaries between possibility and impossibility alike, to imagine a world that we want to live in. A reimagined world in which we have shared community, a deep sense of belonging, and where we feel like we can truly be ourselves. We start by imagining a place we want to live in, a place where we can thrive in a dynamic, meaningful community. Designer’s Manifesto to Reimagine Our World Let’s start a creative movement. One in which our “call to action” is driven by the following key pillars: ź ź ź ź ź ź ź
Curiosity Courage Creativity Compassion Connection Collaboration Community
Based on these seven pillars, this book presents the following Designer’s Manifesto to Reimagine Our World: When we are curious and have the courage to act upon our creativity, When we are driven by our compassion for others, And focus, first and foremost, on connection and collaboration, We build a meaningful community.
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This purpose starts with us—the people who design places and craft narratives for the world. I share some tools and techniques for your ever-growing toolkit on how to design these places based on learnings from my fifteen-year career in themed entertainment design and narrative placemaking. Despite what you may think, the thought and strategy in building a Star Wars land is not that different from reimagining the mall or the hotel in your neighborhood. All of the same principles apply, and I will share with you everything that I know about creating places that exceed your visitor’s expectations. I’ve lived in cities all of my life and it has always been vital for me to find my shared places, no matter where I live. From Surabaya, the second-largest city in Indonesia, to Singapore, a modern and vibrant metropolis, to Boston, the most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and eventually to Los Angeles, a complex, sprawling landscape. Many of my examples will be drawn from my personal experiences living in these cities, as well as cities that I’ve enjoyed visiting in my life. I’ll also interview people I respect in their respective fields to get their thoughts, hopes, and insights into the future of our shared places. Join me in this exploration of insights and observations focusing on the reimagined state of people, play, and purpose. The future is promising. Let’s build it together.
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When you have walkable neighborhoods, a community thrives. People have no choice but to share the public spaces with one another. They organically build a system in which trust, safety, and camaraderie take place on a regular basis. They look out for each other, get to know one another, and build connections and relationships that benefit the entire community. It’s harder to connect when you’re alone in a car or inside a house that’s difficult to get to without driving. How can we create cities with more shared places that foster a greater sense of trust and safety for our children?
Rosenborg Castle and garden in the very walkable and bike-friendly city of Copenhagen, Denmark. Photos by Margaret Kerrison and Caroline Tran (top right).
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In his book Walkable City, Jeff Speck describes his General Theory of Walkability, which outlines the four main conditions for a favorable walking city: it must be useful, safe, comfortable, and interesting. To be interesting means that “sidewalks are lined by unique buildings with friendly faces, and that signs of humanity abound.”9 These friendly faces are more important than we can ever realize. To have someone outside of your home acknowledge your presence every day, give a wave and a smile, and ask how your day is going; these are all interactions that are a vital part of the human experience that many of us no longer have and enjoy in our lives. When we no longer know our neighbors, we no longer know the place we have in our community and other people’s lives, and in turn, we no longer know ourselves. In The Death and Life of Great American Cities, originally published in 1961, urbanist and activist Jane Jacobs describes three qualities that make a successful city neighborhood: “First, there must be a clear demarcation between what is public space and what is private space. Public and private spaces cannot ooze into each other as they do typically in suburban settings or in projects. Second, there must be eyes upon the street, eyes belonging to those we might call the natural proprietors of the street. The buildings on a street equipped to handle strangers and to insure the safety of both residents and strangers must be oriented to the street. They cannot turn their backs or blank sides on it and leave it blind. And third, the sidewalk must have users on it fairly continuously, both to add to the number of effective eyes on the street and to induce the people in buildings along the street to watch the sidewalks in sufficient numbers. Nobody enjoys sitting on a stoop or looking out a window at an empty street. Almost nobody does such a thing. Large numbers of people entertain themselves, off and on, by watching street activity.”10
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Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Disneyland, Anaheim, California. Photos by Ed Tang
Neutra VDL Studio and Residences, Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California. Photos by Margaret Kerrison.
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Over the course of two weekends in April 2023, we held the narrative placemaking workshop in one of the properties under the stewardship of the school, the Neutra VDL Studio and Residences12 in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, the former home and studio of the late architect Richard Neutra, which was designed in 1935 and completed in 1939.
Richard Neutra (1892–1970) was one of the most influential architects of the twentieth century and was a true innovator in every sense of the word. Neutra experimented constantly and embraced technology as a way to connect people with nature. “His philosophy of ’biorealism’ sought to use biological sciences in architecture ’so that design exploited, with great sophistication, the realm of the senses and an interconnectedness to nature that he believed fundamental and requisite to human well-being,’ as described by architect and Neutra scholar Barbara Lamprecht.”13 Architecture is storytelling. Architecture is a way for us to connect with nature, ourselves, each other, and our surroundings. There have been many times in my career when I had to work closely with architects to develop the narrative of built spaces. Oftentimes, the project involved transforming a building and adapting it into a new space that embodied its story and purpose. This fellowship was an opportunity for me to design a workshop for the future generation of architects to develop a mindset of collaboration with storytellers and other narrative designers.
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The Shared Place: Why Do We Need It?
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The Shared Place: Why Do We Need It? As environmental designers and architects, our mission is simple: Build shared places to bring people together. The idea of “build it and they will come” is no longer accurate. People have more choices than ever before. If your place isn’t designed to serve people’s need to connect and belong, fulfill a purpose, or engage in a sense of play, then there’s no reason to visit or return. As suggested in this book’s title, narrative placemaking involves the harmony of three core elements: people, play, and purpose.
Why is it important to consider these three core elements in a shared place? 1) People want to go to a shared place where they feel a great sense of connection and belonging. With the loss and/or losing popularity of community neighborhoods, public parks, town squares, and main streets, people are looking for something else to replace their “place of community.” 2) Purpose represents the Identity and Impact of the Shared Place. What is this place and what does it stand for? We will explore this further in a later chapter. 3) Play is often overlooked as something we need to do every day. Playing with each other is beneficial to our emotional, personal, and social well-being. Yet we don’t prioritize play in our everyday lives.
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Creating a Value System In my first book, I describe the foundation of any story by asking the important questions of Why, What, Who, When, Where, and How. I put all of these questions into a framework called the Immersive Storytelling Question (ISQ) Experience Wheel.
With any good story, the writer/storyteller must ask the Why, What, Who, When, Where, and How of the experience. The WHY of the experience is the focal point in the wheel, as it informs every other element, especially the WHAT, WHO, WHERE, and WHEN (the spokes). The HOW (rim) serves as the wrapper to the experience which begs the question of how visitors will experience your story as well as how your visitors will feel. Together, every element has an important part to play in the entire story experience. Once you’ve established the WHY of your built environment (why build this place?), WHAT the place is (what is the format/medium?), WHERE (where is it going to be located?), WHEN (does it evoke a different time period/era?), and WHO (who’s your audience/visitor/ user?), then you can finally develop your HOW. Creating the Value System is the first step in determining not only HOW your place is going to look, but how it’s going to FEEL. Search online and you’ll find numerous values that you can draw inspiration from. 86
Below is a sample list of values that I’ve collected: Abundance
Compassion
Focus
Justice
Quality
Achievement
Connection
Friendship
Knowledge
Recreation
Adventure
Conscious
Fun
Leadership
Respect
Ambition
Curiosity
Gratitude
Learning
Romance
Amusement
Creativity
Growth
Liberty
Serenity
Anticipation
Dedication
Happiness
Love
Sociability
Art
Dynamic
Harmony
Mastery
Spiritual
Athleticism
Educational
Health
Motivation
Spontaneity
Authenticity
Efficiency
Honesty
Nature
Status
Awe
Elegance
Honor
Openness
Success
Balance
Empowered
Humor
Optimism
Sustainable
Beauty
Energetic
Idealism
Originality
Sympathy
Bold
Enthusiasm
Imagination
Passion
Teamwork
Calm
Equality
Independent
Peace
Tradition
Charisma
Ethics
Individualism Performance
Warmth
Charity
Excellence
Influence
Playfulness
Wealth
Citizenship
Experimental Innovation
Pleasure
Welcoming
Clarity
Exploration
Inspiration
Power
Wellness
Collaboration Faithful
Integrity
Productivity
Wisdom
Comfort
Family
Intelligence
Prosperity
Wish
Community
Fashion
Joy
Protection
Wonder
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teamLab, Exhibition view of teamLab Planets TOKYO, 2018, Tokyo ©teamLab, Courtesy Pace Gallery
Our group was comprised of people ranging from age nine to forty-seven years old. Together we climbed a waterfall, waded through a digitally depicted koi pond, and struggled to crawl across a room that had no floor. Ultimately, this journey into art was a playground for all of us. It gave us permission to play in a way that we had not experienced as a family for years. We laughed, we played, we helped each other out, and we were in awe together. It was one of the best experiences we’ve ever done as a family. My family also loves going to theme parks together. It’s one of the few places in which I, as an adult, can feel invited to play with my kid without feeling out of place. It’s no surprise that many families choose
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to go to theme parks as a form of shared experience. There’s something for everyone in the family. In my conversation with Todd Martens,39 interactive entertainment and theme park journalist for the Los Angeles Times, he said, “I don’t necessarily think of a place like Disneyland as an escape. I think we go there to make sense of the world around us. Coming from somebody who grew up with games, and somebody who writes about games, I’m really looking for a sense of play. When you think of the pandemic, how games were created, there was a sense of community, whether that was through ‘Among Us’ or ‘Animal Crossing,’ people were playing online. I think a lot of the stories and a lot of the narrative of that was when we couldn’t go out and socialize, this gave us a way to socialize. But the real lesson is I think so often in our adult lives, we move away from a sense of playfulness, using play to bring us together.” It’s important for all of us, not only creatives and designers, to make time for play. It may be as simple as looking back at your own childhood and remembering what you used to do during playtime. Whenever I get stuck in my life, I always remember back to when I was a kid. That kid, guaranteed, will always remind me of who I truly am. When we play, we embrace our real selves again.
My family in Disneyland. Photo by Margaret Kerrison.
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Immersing in Nature An understanding of the natural world is a source of not only great curiosity, but great fulfillment.40 —David Attenborough Some of my favorite places in the world combine the urban with the natural—pockets of discovery in which I can walk from a dynamic city setting to a hidden gem of a natural environment. I don’t wish to live in the woods, but for a moment, I want to be reminded of nature and its healing properties. This reminder is essential for us as human beings: to take walks, touch a flower, the bark of a tree, hear the birds, and bask in the sunlight or play in the rain. We need to be reminded to feel the earth and look up at the stars, so that we remember our place in the greater universe.
Eastern Sierra Mountains, California. Photos by Foster Kerrison.
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There’s a Japanese term for this idea of necessary time spent with nature. Shinrin-yoku (“forest bathing” or ”taking in the forest atmosphere”) emerged in Japan in the 1980s as a physiological and psychological exercise. “The purpose was twofold: to offer an ecoantidote to tech-boom burnout and to inspire residents to reconnect with and protect the country’s forests.”41 The idea is that people don’t have to travel far to get their daily dose of nature. One may simply take a walk in an urban park or a green area of a neighborhood in order to feel the benefits of nature. Nature is, after all, our original home. There’s a reason why we all feel calm, connected, and comforted by the sounds, textures, smells, tastes, and sights of nature. There are many places in Tokyo, Japan where you can escape the bustling city, even for a brief moment. Whether it’s a temple, shrine, teahouse, park, or garden, these places offer respite in beautiful, natural surroundings. Shinjuku Gyoen is one of Tokyo’s largest and most popular parks with its spacious lawns, large ponds with bridges, meandering walking paths and tranquil scenery. In the springtime, it becomes one of the best
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Illuminarium in AREA15, Las Vegas. Photos by Margaret Kerrison.
Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo, Dubai Mall. Photo by Margaret Kerrison.
Can we create spaces and activities that encourage families to learn and play together again? Imagine a Hello Kitty store/cafe/drawing school where you can learn to draw your favorite Sanrio character with an artist, 3D print your art, and take home your vinyl figure. Or a mediapowered mini golf course connected to a movie theater. Perhaps the golf course changes media based on the featured movies. What about a retro gaming arcade with physical bumper cars and a 1980s-themed food and drink menu? The opportunity for shared fun is limitless. We’re already seeing the popularity of experiential retail, escape rooms, projection-mapping installation spaces like Illuminarium, virtual reality spaces like Dreamscape, and surreal, artistic play worlds like Meow Wolf.
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Meow Wolf reimagined the art gallery and theme park. By finding a way to support local artists to exhibit their art combined with a visitor fulfillment to interact and be a part of the art, they created a world in which visitors can engage with artwork in a multisensory, interactive format. This medium was something Disney would never do. It was a big risk and highly experimental. Their experiment paid off. Guests are visiting and returning to Meow Wolf because this particular wish fulfillment is unmet in other entertainment destinations. Meow Wolf doesn’t present you with stories that are easily understandable or places that are immediately recognizable. Their work is highly interpretive and doesn’t involve any familiar story, which makes their venues all the more intriguing and compelling.
Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station, Denver, Colorado. Photos by Jess Bernstein | Courtesy of Meow Wolf.
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Building facade made of thousands of salvaged antique windows and shutters collected from all over Indonesia. Potato Head Beach Club, Bali, Indonesia. Photo by Jamie Le on Unsplash. 184
Space Utilization Design your spaces for multiple purposes. How can you reimagine your shared spaces and hotel rooms so they are one setting by day and another by night? The idea of a hybrid hospitality concept is growing and ever-evolving in many hotels and retail stores. How can your breakfast lounge transform into a lively happy hour scene in the evening? Could you hold candlelight concerts in the evening with local musicians? Or a movie screening with popcorn and comfy seating for the whole family? Are there areas in which modular furniture can transform a space into something else entirely? How can you create multiple worlds for the same setting? By changing the mood, music, lighting, food and drink offerings, and entertainment, you can reimagine your spaces to encourage your visitors to come back at different times of the day. The Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles regularly holds concerts and other creative events. With a restored 1,600-seat movie palace from the 1920s originated by Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin,86 they also offer various halls, lounges, and event rooms for any occasion.
The United Artist Theater, now part of the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles. Photo by Afpeach.87
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