Meow Wolf Houston had a unique problem: how do we show people the way out of our twisting, turning, inter-dimensional exhibition? More, how do we do it in a fun, narratively grounded, and clever way? Our solution was "SYNOPSIS".
A rogue radio wave has crashed into a portal at ETNL Radio Station, bringing inter-dimensional art and vibes from all over the Meow Wolf Universe into the "exit portal" (hallway to back out to the lobby). The result is a farewell experience that combines the most unique and memorable aesthetics from the entire exhibit into every guests' trip back home - a many-handed wave goodbye from a psychedelic universe.
The creative process started with me leading a charrette to discuss ideas and concepts. Once we settled on the story, we got to work discussing which rooms and elements to bring into the hallway. We then invited other Meow Wolf employees to contribute art to the project if they felt inspired. I felt it was important to allow everyone to contribute to the project as it wouldn't be a true "synopsis" of the exhibition without highlighting the people that help run it.
As we gathered the art and arrow concepts I added them in Sketchup so we could plan out where each of the elements might go for ease of installation. This would eliminate the need to close off the hallway for an extended time. Then I along with the art and scenic team figured out what hardware we would need to mount all the art to the room and prep the pieces. The pieces varied greatly in material so it was a unique challenge to figure out how to secure them all to felt covered walls with drywall and metal studs as the structure behind holding it up.
Left side of hallway pre-vis (drawn by Alli Nauert in Sketchup)
Right side of hallway pre-vis (drawn by Alli Nauert in Sketchup)
We devised our installation plan to get the exhibit installed in two, eight-hour sessions. The big art pieces to go up the first day, and the TV and smaller art pieces to go up around the bigger pieces the second day. The art and scenic team added all mounting hardware ahead of time to make the process as smooth as possible and the tech team prepped all cables and fixtures. The installation process went smoothly and was very efficient thanks to the great prep work the team did and very clear communication between all departments.
