#RSRSeesTheUSA Day 12: Santa Fe, NM
Feeling the altitude effects this morning, but a hearty breakfast at The Pantry, a whole lot of water, and a quiet morning helped that out.
The afternoon and evening were like playtime from The Before. Exploring Meow Wolf with Jennifer Foley (who had never been there, despite living here for a year now) was a really delicious dip into play for grownups.
I’ve been a big proponent of playful experiences for adults for years. And I love immersive experiences where I can lean into my lack of mental mapping and just get lost.
Meow Wolf was both of those things. A maze of climbable, explorable, (over)stimulating spaces full of textures and lights and interactive elements. And all of it successfully combined to make a variety of specific spaces that felt distinct.
It tickled the experience builder part of me.
My especial favorite? The spaces where you need to interact directly with the space to make something happen. Where you “pluck” the strings of the laser harp to make tones happen. Where you press buttons and turn knobs to change the tonal elements of the music playing.
I slid and climbed and played gesture games with costumed performers moving through the space. Jennifer and I made a lot of nerdy art museum jokes about which elements were like knock-off Yayoi Kusama’s or Nam June Paik’s and James Turrell’s. It was a good time of an afternoon.
Interestingly, for as much as I enjoyed myself, it didn’t leave me with the visceral kick of vitality and presence that I feel in the best live theater productions or museum exhibitions. As much as I entered so many rooms with a “Wow!”, I was also able to leave without the visit dwelling in my thoughts.
That’s truly not a criticism. I had a delightful time romping around inside The House of Eternal Return. Just because it wasn’t a dark chocolate cake doesn’t mean this candy bar wasn’t a real treat to consume.
Cloud of the day: today’s cloud was one from inside Meow Wolf itself. This swirl of cut paper clouds was giving me some real Swoon vibes
