Last Saturday, I went to two incredible interactive installations: the Museum of Feelings (sponsored by Glade) and Stars (sponsored by Stella Artois). My sole goal for the day was to see the Museum of Feelings - as I was expecting a massively long line because it was the last weekend to see it. It didn't open until 11 AM, but I got there around 9. There were only about 5 people waiting to get in, so I decided to dawdle for a bit at Brookfield Place - to kill a little bit of time and also to check out the light installation that they had up there. I went back to the Museum of Feelings after about 15-20 mins, and there were about 30 people waiting at that point - so I decided to snag my spot in line. As the minutes ticked by, I watched the line quickly grow to about 10 times the size... so I was glad I got there early.
It reminded me a lot of Refinery29's 29Rooms - but on a much smaller scale. (Instead of 29 rooms, there were only 5). Regardless, it was still a great interactive experience. Each of the 5 rooms represented a different "feeling" - and encouraged people to interact upon entering. The first wall read:
Open up to an emotional journey.
Use your eyes, ears, fingers, imagination, soul, and nose.
Feel your way through every moment.
Twist your inner muse to "on."
Be brave, beautiful, colorful, vulnerable.
Turn your emotions into art.
The installation opened up with a narrow hallway lit with bright rainbow lights. Shadows from people standing / walking through this hallway were projected onto the opposing wall - creating organic colorful (moving) shapes.
The first room's feeling was OPTIMISTIC. A tunnel was formed by flat hanging sheets, and it was a lot of fun to walk between them. I tripped a few times because I was so delirious / overwhelmed (and also on less than 3 hours of sleep).. lol. The tunnel then led to a room with a fog machine and a spinning gemstone-esque thing in the center.
The next room was JOYFUL - which was a sparkling green "forest" of sorts, formed by hanging strings of lights. It reminded me of Yayoi Kusama's work. I walked into / body slammed the walls a few times (from spinning around for the sake of snapchat #anythingforthesnap) - they were made of mirrors and I was so disoriented that I didn't realize until I hit them, haha. They also handed out 3D glasses in this room, but I don't think they made too much of a difference. It was kinda claustrophobic, but it was *MaGiCaL*
After that was INVIGORATED - which felt like a dance floor. At the beginning of every room, a staff member greeted people and explained a little bit about the room. I don't remember what the girl here said, but that's probably because I was too distracted by her glowing glasses. I spent most of my time in this room stomping around trying to trigger the rainbow aura around my feet, lol. Upon exiting, a staff member told me that it was programmed through your height and that stomping the floor did virtually nothing... #embarassing.
Next was EXHILARATED - a room with a cherry blossom kaleidoscope theme - which felt like a straight up drug trip, lol. I'm not one who experiments with drugs, but that's what I imagine it would be like. The walls of this room were also constructed of mirrors (or a similar reflective material).
The last room was CALM - which was similar in color and feel to the first ("optimistic") room. There was a fog machine here as well (which made it feel like you were walking on a cloud) - and it definitely reminded me of James Turrell and also Petra Collins' "Girls Room" at 29Rooms. Also, #hotlineblingvibes. This was the only room in which I remembered the scent of (lavender + vanilla).. probably because it was the last room. The scent of every other room is a huge blur, lol.
There was an end room in which you could take a selfie and pulse reading to find out how you were "feeling." Mine told me that I was "confident" - which I thought was funny because I have been feeling quite the opposite lately... end of the year self doubt is real, ya'll.
It's a shame it's not a real / permanent "museum" with more rooms. I would have liked to see more feelings represented - as all the ones represented here were positive. What would the "anger" or "sadness" rooms look like? While it was a great installation, it definitely left me wanting more by the end of it.
Later that same day, I also got to experience the Stars by Stella Artois event. I actually didn't even know this was happening - and it was only around in NY for 3 days, I think. My good friend Ruth was able to get me in as her plus 1, and I luckily didn't have to reserve a time slot / ticket online.
Stella Artois wanted to give the gift of a "night under the stars" to NY - and it could not have been a more brilliant marketing move on their part. Upon reaching your hand up, the pendant "star" lights were triggered to come down towards you. I didn't get many good photos because the state of my brain "post Museum of Feelings" was equivalent to a lump of mashed potatoes, but it was still a beautiful thing and I'm really glad I got the chance to go. They had some hidden cameras in the room that captured some great shots, and you can see those shots on their website. The hashtag for the event was #givebeautifully - so you can check that out on Instagram as well! One of the cameras caught me on my phone... concentrating v. hard on taking a photo, lol:
Overall, both installations were well-done and I enjoyed walking through them. I'm a sucker for any interactive art experience, and I don't care how long I have to wait in line to see it. ;)