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There might not be any sudden, gut-wrenching drops or high-speed spins, but Kaleidoscape, Meow Wolf’s new attraction at Elitch Gardens, is thrilling all the same. The slow-moving ride, which doubles as an art installation, opened to the public on April 20. While it won’t raise your heart rate, Kaleidoscape will surely stimulate your mind.
Like most of the installations by the New Mexico-based immersive arts company, the theme behind Kaleidoscape is open to interpretation. Based off Meow Wolf’s House of Eternal Return—their original installation, located in a warehouse in Santa Fe—Kaleidoscape’s narrative is non-linear in the hopes the rider will create their own.
The interactive ride travels through six rooms, each uniquely designed by more than 70 Meow Wolf artists and creators spanning all mediums, including painting, sculpture, video, photography, and virtual and augmented reality. Among them are Denver-based Frankie Toan, Laleh Mehran, Kenzie Sitterud, Chris Coleman, Michael Ortiz, Brick Suede, and Katie Caran. Sitterud, a multimedia artist and designer, was behind the fabrication, design, and narrative of the chair sequence featured in one of the rooms. “I really love that piece of art, the chair room. I’m enjoying yellow these days,” Sitterud says.
Sitterud created the zero-gravity display using colored tiles, boards, and yellow chairs. “The tiles on the walls are red and blue, designed to create tension in your eye. The chair sequence was designed to create a quiet, intentional moment on the ride in the juxtaposition of the Meow Wolf maximalist style,” Sitterud says.
Beyond Sitterud’s levitating chairs, the rooms in Kaleidoscape are most certainly psychedelic, with no limit on color and lighting. Upon entry to Kaleidoscape, riders are given three-dimensional glasses to enhance the experience. From the beginning to the end—which takes about three minutes—it’s impossible not to be enthralled by the spectacle.
While Denver eagerly awaits for Meow Wolf to open its interactive arts space in Denver in 2020, Kaleidoscape gives us to mind-bending preview of what’s to come.
If you go: Entrance to Kaleidoscape is free with park admission. 200 Elitch Circle
