Before recent events, people normally visited immersive art environments to free themselves from the conditions of the “real world.” A leader in the immersive art world is the Santa Fe art collective, Meow Wolf.
Founded by Vince Kadlubek, Meow Wolf started out as nothing more than a bunch of friends creating by any means necessary, even if that meant dumpster diving. Meow Wolf’s psychedelic perspective saw beauty, potential, and creation in everything they touched.
Creating a Psychedelic Playground
In their early years, Meow Wolf was unknowingly paving the way for what would eventually become millions of fans to live a more radically present life—or “psychedelic life.” Their resourceful, resilient, and wondrous mentality scored them an investment deal with the great visionary writer, George R.R. Martin. With this investment, Meow Wolf took an old bowling alley in Santa Fe and turned it into one of the leading examples of psychedelic immersive art.
The once-abandoned bowling alley quickly transformed into a psychedelic playground for their audience to explore. It became a place to push the limitations of their minds. Just as one may experience a psychedelic trip with hallucinogens, Meow Wolf created their own journey through the embodiment of radical art, multisensory exploration, and storytelling. Many have described their experience at Meow Wolf as a portal into other dimensions, a true embodiment into the infinite world of the present. Guests get to explore not only the playful and light sides of their reality but also their shadows and insecurities. A comment from one of the guests stated, “you’re inspired to open new doors, solve mysteries, and play music. It’s comfortable yet eerie, and it’s totally different than most art experiences.”
The rise of immersive art has unlocked many doors for living a more psychedelic life. It does this by freeing ourselves from our mental limitations and embodying the infinite creativity of the present. Meow Wolf doesn’t only reflect this in the fearlessness and limitlessness of their artists. They reflect it in the way their art isn’t complete without the organic and unpredictable experiences of the guest.
Meow Wolf Immersive Art
Artists say that “Meow Wolf looks different from every angle. It contains multitudes. And with its continued growth—more visitors, more installations, and more creative exploration—even infinity doesn’t seem out of reach. One thing’s for sure. Meow Wolf won’t remain static. There’s a sense that the art collective that became a company is a living, breathing creature. Artists involved in the group’s projects have referred to Meow Wolf as a beast, with its own agenda, that they are helping bring to life.”
Indeed, immersive art collectives such as Meow Wolf have strengthened the embodiment of a psychedelic life. It is our job to integrate these practices into the beast that is our everyday life. Now more than ever must we be radically present to the art and community that we are immersed in. Although doors aren’t currently open, we still can support, explore, and create a new, beautiful, and psychedelic world together.
