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May 1, 2016 10:03 PM

The House Of Eternal Return is a ... place ... built and run by Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico
posted by the man of twists and turns (14 comments total)

Its landlord is George RR Martin

Note to self: do not attend a destination wedding here
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 10:26 PM on May 1, 2016 [17 favorites]

One of my best friends since the 1980s was heavily involved with this project; i was expecting it would get posted on MeFi.

A recent Ars Technica article has a lot of photos.
posted by D.C. at 10:38 PM on May 1, 2016

. . . and i swear i checked all of the FPP links to see that the Ars article wasn’t there. Oops.
posted by D.C. at 10:40 PM on May 1, 2016

This looks so very fun. A funhouse for adults. I'll bet it's particularly entertaining if strategically unsober.
posted by zardoz at 1:11 AM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'm here for Girl Boy.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 6:13 AM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

I went last week. It was pretty terrific. My mom was overwhelmed, but I went back for second and thirds. There are lots of fun metatexts scattered about, some they let me take when I asked nice. I already want to go back, so it lives up to its moniker.
posted by chainlinkspiral at 6:17 AM on May 2, 2016 [3 favorites]

I want to go to this so bad my teeth hurt, but I've been weirdly resistant to reading/viewing too much about it because I want to go in fresh.
posted by babelfish at 6:55 AM on May 2, 2016

A DJ friend of mine from Chicago played at the grand opening of this space and said that it was amazing. She recommended it especially strongly to anyone who is experienced with psychedelics.
posted by LMGM at 7:23 AM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

I highly recommend a visit to this space if you're ever in Santa Fe. I've never seen anything quite like it. It's so layered and diverse that it can appeal to just about any one - there is a sense of wonder and adventure. Little kids absolutely love it, But, when I went the other week two guys were doing some sort of scavenger hunt related to trying to figure out the mystery of where the family who lived in the house disappeared to. I really enjoyed the fact the there is so much that is interactive and that you really do need to look in the cabinets and go through the closets to really get a sense of the attention to detail. It's really an amazing space. The art is fantastic and fantastical.

And aside from the House of Eternal Return there is also a kids' discovery space and a maker's space (which recently hosted a workshop on sandal and shoe making). I'm glad GRRM bought the bowling alley and leased it to Meow Wolf instead of buying it and using it for more storage (he seems to be buying properties and using them as storage / space for artists to rent in Santa Fe or doing interesting things with them, like Meow Wolf and his Jean Cocteau theater).

I am also very happy that at least one abandoned building in Santa Fe's mid-town (my neighborhood) is being put to good use. The Silva Lanes bowling alley was abandoned for years after the owners couldn't pay insurance due to several violent incidents on their property (along with other issues). The Meow Wolf folks have been accused of "gentrifying" the neighborhood which is generally light industrial, though that is changing with coffee shops, breweries, and theaters moving in to the neighborhood. But, the head of Meow Wolf is on the city's planning commission and he seems dedicated to attempting to preserve the neighborhood's current use while promoting growth. Hopefully, that effort is successful.
posted by BooneTheCowboyToy at 8:33 AM on May 2, 2016 [2 favorites]

I loved this caption on one of the ars photos of a couch inside of a cave(?): "One of the many fantastical chill spaces where people can take a break or discuss what they've figured out about the mystery. 'I just hope teenagers are making out in there,' said Lauren."

("The arcade has 14 games and is decorated like a 1980s hallucination." was pretty good as far as captions go too).
posted by togdon at 8:58 AM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

Keep Make Santa Fe Weird!

Seriously, kudos to anyone who brings more Zozobra to this town of fauxdobe (say it out loud). I've passed the billboard for it often enough but that provides zero information about what it is or where it is, and I half expected it to be an ephemeral art thing that has since passed (there are a lot of billboards for old events around here, and that's even along I-25 in more urban areas, I'm not talking about the well-faded signs in the hinterlands).
posted by filthy light thief at 9:06 AM on May 2, 2016

I've worked with some of these guys and got to visit their workshop last summer while they were still developing some of this. I'm intentionally avoiding spoilers that I didn't already pick up during my visit because this was made by a whole bunch of really smart, dedicated, and weird people and if it lives up to a tenth of its potential (as I'm gathering it has more than done) it's going to be just nuts.

And on top of that probably the closest thing to a "New Thing" in art in a long time.

Full disclosure: I work for the Currents New Media, which is also how I know some of the people involved in this, but if you'd like a double whammy of crazy tech art stuff, June would be the time to visit Santa Fe to check MEOWWOLF out.
posted by cmoj at 10:20 AM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

I was planning on going on my birthday but that was the one day they were closed:( I think I'll check it out this week. It's nice to see something different from the art that is prevalent here (if I have to look at one more bronze statue of the muscular Indian with his arrow drawn towards the sky… I'm goin' on the war path).
posted by jabo at 10:23 AM on May 2, 2016

It is so good! Definitely a must-see if you're in Santa Fe. I'd try to describe it but I don't want to spoil anyone. Suffice to say that it's a unique experience.

Those with mobility issues will want to note that parts of the exhibit are not accessible.
posted by joedan at 9:35 PM on May 2, 2016