The new interactive art experience, INTER_, an immersive multi-sensory journey, has opened to the public in SoHo.
INTER_ invites visitors to immerse themselves in a journey through installations and digital creations in a multi-sensory environment, allowing their presence and participation to aid in the creation of art and a playful experience between mind, body, and reality. The project was founded by NYC venture studio JOBI Experiential in collaboration with multidisciplinary artist Pete Sax and his creative studio Chemistry Creative to design, develop, and build the experience.
“My artistic practice reflects my curiosity and investigation into life’s big questions, such as who am I, how did I come to be a conscious being, what is the purpose of life, and what is life itself. I am fascinated by how contemplative inquiries can be meaningfully explored and communicated in our materially minded and somewhat distracted modern, digital age.” Sax emphasizes.
Inspired by an individual’s natural inquiry into the nature of mind and modern physics, INTER_’s storytelling is based around the manifestation of the journey through the elements of earth, wind, fire, and water, and a key fifth element, ether, which represents the awareness of the mind itself.
INTER_ goals to pose contemplative questions through a series of experiential exhibits that inspire fun and whimsicality while gently pointing towards something deeper and perhaps even mystical:
- INTER_personal: The exploration of one’s sense of identity inspired a journey through a series of analog and digital mirrors, creating mind-bending interactions and unique photo moments.
- INTER_sensory: Visitors are immersed in an interactive, guided meditation while being surrounded by audiovisual projections.
- INTER_planetary: This is dedicated to the fundamental elements of earth, water, ether, air, and fire. Experiences including motion sensor-activated visual and auditory cues to symbolically allude to the cycle of birth, life, and death.
- INTER_val: As visitors move beyond the fire element experience, they become enveloped in darkness, with three large gongs mounted on the far back wall, where guests can lay and listen to the vibrations emitted through the Gong sequence. INTER_connected: Visitors can look back at their experience through a gallery of INTER_memories, captured by sensors placed throughout the exhibit. It also prompts the visitors to look deeper within by posing one final question: “Is this You?”
“Over the past few years, it’s become apparent that there is a pent-up desire to leave the home and engage with each other in real life. Simultaneously, just sitting passively for entertainment is not as compelling as it once may have been. JOBI Experiential is developing a future in which audiences are no longer limited to merely watching flat screens or observing art from a distance. We believe that entertainment and art should be both immersive and interactive. INTER_ is an expression of how people are choosing to be entertained and inspired now and in the future. JOBI Experiential invites our guests to not be just observers, but also active creators in their INTER_ journey,” says Ryan Nelson, Co-Founder of JOBI Experiential.
Along with the exhibits, guests will also be treated to digital experiences in the lobby, featuring a gift shop and an NFT gallery.
INTER_ will be open Monday-Friday 12 pm–10 pm; Saturday-Sunday 10 am–10 pm. To learn more about INTER_ or purchase tickets online, you can visit www.interiam.co, and follow along on Instagram at @INTER__IAM.
