I recently got lost in the House of Eternal Return. I should not have been surprised. After all, when I opened the refrigerator, instead of shelves with packaged food was a dark narrow hallway. I bent my head and stepped into the fridge (a weird experience itself). And then, most alarming was that I eventually ended up in a cave with a giant woolly beast towering over me.
Meow Wolf is an art collective based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 2016, they opened their “The House of Eternal Return” — an interactive, multimedia art experience. Vince Kadlubet, one of Meow Wolf’s co-founders, refers to as “immersive storytelling.” George Martin (of Games of Thrones), provided substantial funding to help the over 133 artists create this art installation in a former bowling alley.
This is what happens when you give artists a lot of money and space.
The background story starts with a re-creation of Victorian House (built inside the alley) occupied by a family, but it soon becomes clear that something has happened to them. The house leads to different “worlds” via closets, a refrigerator, the chimney and my favourite, the washing machine (forcing one to climb in and slide into another dimension). The entire installation is interactive and demands curiosity of the best kind. Opening up a cabinet door may reveal a monster staring back at you. Crawling through a low doorway leads to a room full of artificial bones that when stuck, makes musical notes. There are hints scattered throughout the gallery of the story, but it’s easy to make up your own version too. Or just have fun exploring all the tiny spaces and seeing where you end up.
Looking around at my fellow exploring visitors I was stuck by the wonder on their faces. An hour earlier, I stood in line, waiting to enter. It’s best to buy tickets in advance for a particular hour and then stand in line for your allotted time. Behind me in line stood a young couple; early twenties, I guessed. She wore a blue flowered dress, her blond hair pulled back into an easy ponytail. He had chosen sensible slacks and a polo shirt. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. His hands twitched. Not a first date, I thought. Maybe they’ve dated for six months. A visit to the House of Eternal Return will either cement their relationship or break it off.
Ahead in line, was an extended family. The father stepped out of line to take a cell phone call, his voice authoritative and listed out instructions to his caller. The younger kids jumped and hung off the moms, impatient to get lost in the gallery. A fourteen year boy pretended to be bored, dressed all in black and multiple piercing in his ears. His mom, a too thin woman with eyes hanging low, shifted from foot to foot. Another ring on the cell phone; the father moved just far enough away so that we all still know how important he is even though we can’t hear the details of the call. When he returned, the kids run to him; a beloved absent father earning his fame through tickets to the House. Before he can even answer the first child’s question, his phone rang again. He smiled and waved at them while he took the call.
Later inside the House, I spot the blue dressed girl; her face shines as she pulls on her boyfriend’s hand to crouch low to crawl through the chimney. He follows like an enamoured puppy. I pass the cell phone father in the tree house; his kids scatter along the high narrow walkway between the tree and an space ship looking thing suspended from the ceiling. A dragon swoops towards us. He’s laughing with them, phone forgotten.
Meow Wolf reminded me of something essential in story telling: to have fun. To be playful and outrageous. To take chances. Not to be afraid to break the mold and do something wild and crazy. An audience is engaged when invited and encouraged to be curious. We crave the opportunity to explore and discover what might be hidden in the closet. As writers, it is our task to entertain. I challenge you to lead your reader into an unknown dimension to meet a towering hairy beast, even if this is only a metaphor for facing a fear. Of course, it could be actual wild beast too.
