August 2023 Monthly Adventure
For this adventure, I went to another local museum called Wonderspaces. This one is special though because it's an interactive art museum where every single installation is meant for you to have some type of sensory experience beyond just visual.
Background
Typically, my monthly adventures are completely new experiences for me. The truth is I went to Wonderspaces for the first time last fall. However, it's very easy to go multiple times and not see all of the same art twice because they rotate the art to include some new pieces every few months or so. Wonderspaces is a great place for a date or a group of friends, but this time I went solo to see what's new and was pleasantly surprised by how different the experience was without other people there with me!
Not Your Typical Art Museum
Wonderspaces in Austin is a bit hidden, taking up space in what appears to be a business office complex on the northeast side of town at first glance. As previously mentioned, the art installations are purposefully interactive and thought-provoking. I'd say it's closer to an adult version of a children's museum. This two-story art show is something that would be fun for older children, but has the potential to be just as fun (if not more fun) for the 21 and up crowd because of the type of art that's on view and there's a bar to grab drinks from as you start your journey through the exhibits. Signature drinks come in a souvenir glass jar to drink from as you sip and engage with the art. I recommend the mule if you want something refreshing and maintains good flavor even as the ice melts. There are small tables throughout Wonderspaces to set your drink on while participating in the show in addition to benches or chairs to relax and just observing the art.
My Experience at Wonderspaces
Online booking is seamless and I purchased my Wonderspaces ticket ($25 for non-members) for a 10:00 AM entry for this past Sunday. I wanted to get there when they opened because I was going alone and needed to make sure there wouldn't be any other people around so I could set my phone up for pictures and video. Due to variety of flashing lights, magnets, and other aspects of the various installations and overall experience, all participants must sign a waiver before entering the "show".
After checking in, I scanned the QR code to the Show Guide. Wonderspaces does not have printed guides and instead uses a chatbot to guide you through each immersive art installation. The bot knows which art is up next and even has prompts for the stairs, elevator, bar, and restrooms when it determines you should be close to them if you're reading about nearby installations. There were a couple of times when the Wonderspaces chatbot thought I was a little bit ahead of where I actually was in the building. To correct that, I simply typed in the name of the artwork that I was looking at and the guide would immediately start sharing the correct information and would get back on track.
From using a ball to manipulate a digital sun, to listening to an orchestra of sewing machines, to watching a virtual reality short film double feature, to writing down something you wish you had said before, there is so much to take in at Wonderspaces! Each work of art is unique and the immersive nature of it all allows you to better understand and experience the artists' intentions behind their creative work and what they hoped participants would feel or think about. This time around, my visit to Wonderspaces felt therapeutic. I allowed myself to be more comfortable walking on unstable surfaces, learned more about what colors I naturally gravitate towards (it's not always my favorite color), and anonymously got some things off my chest that I knew I could never actually say aloud.
Wrap-Up
As much fun as it is to experience the show at Wonderspaces with other people, going solo offered up something completely different in a good way! Whether with friends or on a date, your focus is split between the people you're with and the artwork so you may not completely take in the immersive experience -- especially if you have a cocktail in hand. Going by myself meant it was just me and my thoughts without a drink from the bar and I was quiet, curious, and contemplative in the roughly 80-90 minutes that I was in Wonderspaces.
With so much of the immersive art using light as a primary focal point, snapping pictures and recording video requires patience in finding the right timing and identifying the best angles to capture each moment. I think being in the creative environment of Wonderspaces encouraged me to be more creative with getting pictures and video. Because I do so many of the things that I blog about by myself, I don't have many wide angle pictures where I appear in them. However, that all changed in this second visit to Wonderspaces and now my picture and video game has leveled up!
If you like art, interactive spaces, and Instagram-worthy activities, then Wonderspaces is the place for you! I know I plan on going again in the future after a new rotation of immersive art is introduced. Speaking of Instagram, be sure to follow Kimi's Travel Thoughts to view additional pictures and video from my morning at Wonderspaces that weren't featured in this blog post. On to the next Monthly Adventure!
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