www.fastcompany.com: If you happen to visit Convergence Station, the Denver outpost of the popular immersive-art empire Meow Wolf, the staff has one request: Don’t push the emergency call button on the elevator, unless there’s a real emergency. “It happens at least once or twice a day,” says Amanda Clay, the company’s chief exhibitions officer. In the 90,000-square-foot, five-story building, a team of 300 artists has created a series of beguiling, Wonka-esque spaces laced with interactive elements.
4 comments:
I love the idea of Meow Wolf. I have never rally gotten a clear explanation as to what the company was before this article. Reading about some of their exhibits and hearing things from friends who have gone to their locations left me imagining some kind of cryptic group of artists who were organized only by their desire to give people the most memorable and bizarre art experiences of their lives. And I am really glad to find out that that's kind of how it started. I will definitely be watching the "origin story" retelling of how the company came to be. I also hind it rather hilarious that the first funds for the company came from George RR Martin. Like, what an amazing little fun fact. But I also love the idea that they could be compared to Disney in a way of being a business competitor but not an artistic one. I think that Meow Wolf has the win over the mouse when it comes to art. People go to Disney for the repetition and the comfort of knowing exactly what they are going to get. I think the fun of Meow Wolf is that you never know, and it might be different every time you go.
The thing that I latched on to the most from this article is that Meow Wolf truly wants their audience to have agency. This is shown through their immersive experiences in which audience members are encouraged to explore by finding different paths, pushing buttons, and so much more. I could see why many people would prefer it over Disney and I also understand how the two companies are comparable despite being worth an extremely different amount. They are both offering an experience for their guests, but Meow Wolf seems to value the interaction rather than getting every dollar from the consumer. It actually reminds me a lot of one of the Troy Hill art houses in Pittsburgh (this one is a much smaller scale). The art house is made by multiple artists and has guests explore by finding their own way. Sometimes you are crawling, climbing, even golfing. Just like Meow Wolf it values the unexpected.
Wow. I had never heard of meow Wolf until this article, but now I’m a fan. Immersive art is something I’m extremely interested in, and I’m astounded by the fact that they have guests multiple times a day push the emergency button, despite being told not to previously. That kind of control over someone’s reality is truly astounding. The fact that their company was able to grow over the pandemic is amazing and even inspiring. The word medically I’m not sure how it grew. Then would I find it very interesting is the description of the company as a potential competitor to Disney. The comparison discussed in the article of having trouble and order in Walt Disney World, whereas meow wolf spaces are messy, human, and unpredictable. Is so interesting. I’m a huge fan of Disney because of the skills they have in controlling someone’s perceptions of the world around them, so I am so very interested in how meow Wolf does the same in their own way, well also allowing humans to have control. It’s such a lovely concept for awakening creativity in people. I would love to go and experience this.
I did not get an idea of what Meow Wolf’s exhibits looked like from the article so all the talk about how it was rivalring Disney and growing made me skeptical but after just googling some of the exhibits HOLY DUCK that is cool. I would work for them if I could because w h a t those installations are insane. I mean on a certain level they DO remind me of Disney because of the polished environments built around pathways in large warehouses but I see how it’s also anti-Disney. The emphasis on comparing it to Disney though is funny because it’s like comparing apples to oranges. I remember my highschool principal comparing the school to the operations of Disneyland and we all rolled our eyes like she thinks this school is just so good it's comparable to Disneyland. It's not even just the money and size of Disney but Disney has evolved beyond an art/attraction company because they are a capitalistic empire of the economy. Nevertheless I will definitely be scouting one of these out and hope they continue to grow as the article suggests
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