Immersive experience Bubble Planet comes to Denver | Arts & Entertainment
Think back to childhood’s greatest pleasures.
That’s what John Zaller did as he helped dream up Bubble Planet, the latest immersive experience by Exhibition Hub, which does large, immersive exhibits around the world, including Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience and Tutankhamun: His Tomb and His Treasures.
“There’s nothing more magical than soap bubbles appearing out of nothing, out of your own breath,” said Zaller, Exhibition Hub’s executive producer.
The 25,000-square-foot interactive installation features multiple rooms themed around all the bubbles one might find in life and on the planet — a bubble bath, bubbles on the ocean floor, balloons that resemble bubbles. There’s a room for selfies, a moving fish floor, hot air balloon flight simulator and virtual reality that allows you to enter an alternate world where physics are ruled by bubbles.
It’s now open in Denver through Sept. 30.
“It’s a little bit like ‘Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory’ — you love it if you’re a kid and you appreciate it when you’re an adult,” Zaller said. “For kids it’s the whole thing — the bright pastels, the play areas. For adults it’s all of those things, but also the chance to be childlike for 90 minutes.”
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If it feels like immersive experiences like Bubble Planet and Van Gogh are popping up more regularly, you’re not wrong. Though large-scale art installations have been around for many years, today’s interactive installations are more accessible to the public, Zaller says. The trend kicked off around 2016 when projection technology became more available and helped launch the Van Gogh installation, which featured giant, moving projections of the artist’s works on walls.
“We have so much in front of our faces with our phones and great content on small and big screens,” he said. “People are getting more savvy about what they want to see. People want to be transported. The public is after opportunities to experience something new and find deeper meaning. A lot of immersive experiences try to do that. Many succeed.”
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And playing in soapy and virtual bubbles can have a beneficial effect on our mental health.
“We have so much pressure on us every day, so many deadlines, we’re always turned on, plugged in,” Zaller said. “These experiences allow us to do the opposite, unplug, be absorbed in something, maybe something transcendent. Play and digital art have the incredible ability to lower blood pressure, relieve anxiety, become more centered and connected to self.”
Contact the writer: 636-0270
Contact the writer: 636-0270
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