Wonderspaces Reopens Their Bar With an All New Cocktail Program As Well As 3 New Installations
Wonderspaces Philadelphia heads into fall and the holiday season at Fashion District Philadelphia by adding two new extraordinary installations to its show of interactive and experiential artwork. The current collection of global art will now include the most ever pieces, sixteen in total, with the addition of On a Human Scale by Matthew Matthew, Before I Die by Candy Chang and returning favorite Dinner Party by Charlotte Stoudt, Laura Wexler, Angel Soto, Skybound, Ryot & Telexist. On a Human Scale is a project which unites voices and faces of the world through technology. The project started as an experiment, by filming everyday New Yorkers singing.
The individual voices are woven into an interactive instrument which visitors are invited to play, bringing the immersive audio-visual installation to life. Before I Die is a global participatory public art project that reimagines our relationship with death and with one another in the public realm. Originally created by artist Candy Chang in New Orleans after the death of a loved one, the artwork invites people to reflect and share their personal aspirations in public. Dinner Party by Charlotte Stoudt, Laura Wexler, and Angel Soto is a virtual reality film based on the story of Betty and Barney Hill, the couple who reported the first nationally known UFO abduction case in America in the 1960s. The film takes the visitor through their abduction journey, which is a remarkably different experience for Betty and Barney.
Along with the three installations, Wonderspaces announces the reopening of the bar and the debut of Wonderspaces signature cocktails, along with spirits, wine, local beers, non-alcoholic beverages and snacks. Wonderspaces also starts fall hours to coincide with the openings, with new hours effective immediately for Thursdayto Friday, 12:00pm Noon to 10:00pm, Saturday, 10:00am to 10:00pm and Sunday, 10:00am to 8:00pm. Tickets for timed slots are on sale at philadelphia.wonderspaces.com/
Wonderspaces ramps up heading into a busy fall season with three additions to the show at Fashion District Philadelphia. Following the recent debuts of Our Top 100 by Jody Servon, Erupture by Nicole Banowetz, and Micromonumental Mapping: The Essence of Creation by Limelight, Wonderspaces introduces the following:
* On a Human Scale by Matthew Matthew
On a Human Scale is a project which unites voices and faces of the world through technology. The project started as an experiment, by filming everyday New Yorkers singing. The individual voices are woven into an interactive instrument which visitors are invited to play, bringing the immersive audio-visual installation to life. The project was born as a 2 octave prototype using a toy piano and has since grown to 4 octaves or 49 keys housed in an antique harpsichord.
Matthew calls his work, “”A symphony with many faces.”
On A Human Scale was a 2014 Official Selection to the Tribeca Film Festival. Matthew told the Festival, “On a Human Scale is an attempt to reimagine the people of New York City as an immersive video instrument that anyone and everyone is invited to play. Each key of a keyboard triggers a different video of a different person, from a different walk of life, singing a different note. Playing the instrument brings to life an audiovisual installation that fuses music, film, and people into a living, singing tapestry of humanity.”
He added, “The idea was born as I was walking through Shanghai listening to Philip Glass’ “Einstein on the Beach.” At some point the crowds of faces and the relentless repetition of the choir in his music coalesced into a really clear idea: Humanity is a vast interworking instrument and each of us is a note. I knew immediately that I had to bring that idea to life and make an instrument of us.”
On a Human Scale is a vast experiment to unite the voices and faces of the world. It is an installation that can be played by anyone, exploiting technology to uncover a deeper human experience. It is a stage for performance where world class musicians can collaborate with the music of people from around the world for audiences everywhere. It is ever-growing, innovative documentation of humanity and the power of music and technology to unite us.
Matthew told Medium, “Not everyone is Pavarotti… the beauty is that even the utterly tone-deaf can sing at least one good note. Because every note of On a Human Scale is sung by a different person, this is all we need from each participant, one good note. The magic comes not from any individual singer but when we put all of those singers’ notes together. It’s like an inverse American Idol: in the end, we all become the star.”
* Before I Die by Candy Chang
Before I Die is a global participatory public art project that reimagines our relationship with death and with one another in the public realm. Originally created by artist Candy Chang in New Orleans after the death of a loved one, the artwork invites people to reflect and share their personal aspirations in public. Through the activation of public spaces around the world, Taiwanese-American artist Candy Chang creates rituals that uncover the complexity of our inner lives. Her practice includes participatory installations of anonymous, handwritten reflections, as well as reproductions of these reflections through video and mixed media. The Atlantic called it, “one of the most creative community projects ever,” and after receiving requests from people around the world who wanted to make a wall with their community,Chang made online resources for residents to create their own. Over 5,000 Before I Die installations have now been created by communities in over 75 countries, including Iraq, China, Brazil, Kazakhstan, and South Africa. Chang’s 2012 TED talk about Before I Die has been viewed over five million times and translated into over 40 languages.
“The addition of Candy Chang’s Before I Die to our artwork lineup is something new for Wonderspaces, in that it’s installed in the long hallway connecting our space to the Fashion District mall, making it accessible to passersby as well as visitors to our full show,” said Wonderspaces Philadelphia General Manager Jenn McCreary.
* Dinner Party by Charlotte Stoudt, Laura Wexler, Angel Soto, Skybound, Ryot & Telexist
Dinner Party is a virtual reality film based on the story of Betty and Barney Hill, the couple who reported the first nationally known UFO abduction case in America in the 1960’s. The film takes the visitor through their abduction journey, which is a remarkably different experience for Betty and Barney.
The installation is designed to replicate the atmosphere of a mid-century dinner party. Visitors watch the film in the communal environment of the dinner table but are isolated within the confines of a virtual reality headset. This juxtaposed viewing experience connects to the broader concepts of the film’s narrative.
“Dinner Party was one of our most popular installations when we originally opened in January of 2020,” said McCreary. “Since it left our show last winter we’ve had members and visitors asking — literally every weekend! — about whether it would return and when. We were excited to bring back this stunning VR film, and to present it in our new self-serve VR configuration, and are looking forward to introducing it to folks who didn’t have the opportunity to see it the first time around.”
SIXTEEN EXTRAORDINARY INSTALLATIONS
With the addition of these new pieces, Wonderspaces currently has the largest number of artworks since it arrived in Philadelphia in January 2020, right before the pandemic. The collection has now grown to sixteen installations, which will continue to rotate throughout the year, and also includes member and visitor favorites including Submergence by Squidsoup, Body Paint by Memo Akten and The Last Word by Illegal Art . Wonderspaces continues to be a unique, interactive and socially distanced activity for locals, neighbors and visitors in the heart of Center City.
Select highlights of continuing works include:
Akousmaflore by Scenocosme – Akousmaflore is a hanging garden of living plants that respond to human contact, each reacting in a different way to gentle touch by producing a unique sound, communicating their existence through interactive musicality.
Ferreflection Pool by Mesplé – This exhibit combines real-time video interpolation, microprocessors and 320 electromagnets to create reflective silhouettes of a viewer’s moving body. The fluid is magnetically responsive and puckers into a spike when triggered. (opened before the second shut-down)
Submergence by Squidsoup – Submergence is an immersive installation comprised of 8,064 individual points of light visitors walk through. The lights continually change colors in correspondence to music. Submergence creates awe-inspiring feelings of movement within physical space.
Body Paint by Memo Akten – Playing on our natural instinct to express ourselves through movement and dance, Body Paint interprets our physical gestures into evolving compositions. Body Paint is about interaction experience, captured through this motion and the energy of the body.
The Last Word by Illegal Art – The Last Word is an invitation to share thoughts left unsaid. Thousands of tightly rolled pieces of paper, dyed red on one end and left untouched on the other offer an opportunity to anonymously complete your conversations or explore the unexpressed sentiments of others.
For a full list of installations, visit philadelphia.wonderspaces.com/
SIGNATURE COCKTAILS AND BAR SERVICE ADD TO EXPERIENCE
Wonderspaces Philadelphia also announces the opening of their full bar for the first time since the pandemic shut-down in March of 2020. With the reopening comes the debut of Wonderspaces signature craft cocktails, served in a Wonderspaces souvenir jar. Bar service and the cocktail program are designed to enhance the Wonderspaces experience, and are additional reasons to add Wonderspaces to the top of your list for top date night spots in Philadelphia.
Signature Cocktails
* Loosey Goosey – Vodka or Rum, Gooseberry+Marigold, Ginger Beer, Splash of Club Soda $10
* Dragon’s Berry – Gin, Dragonfruit+Rosemary, Cranberry Juice, Splash of Club Soda $10
* Hibiscus Margarita – Blanco Tequila, Hibiscus+Agave, Splash of Club Soda $10
Spirits
* Titos $9
* Lunazul Tequila $9
* Four Roses Bourbon $9
* Faber Gin $9
* Faber Rum $9
Beer & Wine
* Lime City Lager – 4% ABV – Made with lime and sea salt for a bright, refreshing taste. Love City Brewing, Philadelphia, PA $6
* Unity IPA – 5.5% ABV – An approachable IPA with citrus flavors, low bitterness and a crisp finish. Love City Brewing, Philadelphia, PA $6
* Reading Premium Lager – 4.5% ABV – A pre-prohibition classic pale lager, semi-dry and clean with bright carbonation. Sly Fox Brewing Company, Reading, PA $5
* Press Blackberry Hibiscus Hard Seltzer – 4% ABV – $6
* House Pino Grigio $7
* House Cabernet $7
* House Rosé $7
Non-Alcoholic Beverages
* Craft Iced Teas – Made with The BASE All Natural Tea Sweeteners and served in a Wonderspaces keepsake jar – Flavors: Hibiscus Agave, Gooseberry Marigold, Dragonfruit Rosemary, Grapefruit Basil $6
* La Colombe Draft Latte $4
* Hank’s Sodas $3
* Acqua Panna Still Water / San Pellegrino Sparkling Water $3
