In recent months, it feels as if the world has fallen down a rabbit hole. Time no longer makes sense, a pompous tyrant is running things and every time I eat a piece of cake I grow to the size of a house.
Given these circumstances, it’s the perfect time for a trip to “The Looking Glass” at IX Park. The one-of-a-kind interactive art experience is open in Charlottesville with COVID-19 restrictions in place. The exhibit advertises itself as a “whimsical wonderland,” inviting visitors to leave real life behind — which people are all too eager to do right now — and enjoy an otherworldly experience. The Looking Glass is the first immersive art space in Virginia and was created by over a dozen local artists, encouraging each visitor to “spark your imagination and captivate your sense of childlike wonder.” The exhibit aims to do this by packing every corner with sound, light and color to evoke a wonderland pleasing to all the senses.
The exhibit is made to be touched and felt and oohed and ahhed over, however, in the age of COVID, accommodations had to be made. Masks are required, and upon entry organizers provide disposable gloves for the attendees to wear throughout the exhibit. Attendees are then allowed into the exhibit, which they must do by going through the “cleaning closet,” signaling their passage from the ordinary world into the land of the looking glass.
Enter the gallery and there is an instant sensory overload. Flashing colors, bird calls, visuals of waterfalls and forests, animals in every corner — there are so many sights and sounds, each section of the exhibit demands the attendee’s attention. John Owen, the lead artist of the museum, encourages viewers to experience the exhibit as a journey. His creation — the Caterpillar Tunnel — is located near the entry of the gallery. It appears as a giant, vacuous hole, with neon lights rimming the edges — mesmerizing the attendee to step foot through the tunnel and explore the rest of the gallery. Owen describes the tunnel as a “metamorphosis” for the attendee, to move from small to colossal, dark to light and to transition from an onlooker to an “inlooker.”
Describing this museum in words proves to be difficult, as it is really meant to be looked at and experienced. There is a section for anyone to get lost, no matter what age. There are rope chairs hanging down amid a forest of green willows for children and adults alike to swing in, a forest of mirrors to walk through and a neon maze riddled with hidden words to be discovered by the viewer. Golden goddesses flank the back of the exhibit, so intimidating and stoic that the onlooker is unsure whether or not they can approach the section. A miniature troll house is buried in a moving forest, casting videos of animal life. Again, describing the exhibit in words truly does not do it justice. Every time it seems there’s nothing left to see in the gallery, another hidden corner is discovered or a new detail is noticed.
With the COVID restrictions, attendees are only given an hour in the exhibit. For many visitors, especially those with young children, this will not be enough time — there is just too much to look at and take in. The time limit gives a structure to the experience, intensifying the viewer’s appreciation of the exhibit. However, like Alice, upon re-entering the real world, the attendee wonders just how much they missed in the looking glass and when they will get to go back.
Tickets for “The Looking Glass” can be purchased online at ixartpark.org and in person.
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