Ever since I visited Artechouse Miami, I've come to realize that the future of art is immersive. And artist Hebru Brantley's Nevermore Park was no exception.
Located in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, Nevermore Park is an 6,000 square-foot, immersive indoor installation where visitors are invited into the fictional world from which Brantley's characters Flyboy and Lil Mama originated.
Once inside, the exhibition space starts off as a traditional gallery, with Brantley's art hanging on gallery-white walls. But once you reach the end of the gallery, you're faced with an entrance to a whole different world where history and culture collide, and imagination and play come to life.
Although I was new to Flyboy and Lil Mama's world, each area of Nevermore Park evoked a sense of familiarity, and I thought that the use of sound and lighting amplified the different ambience of each section in the park.
A wooden playhouse, strewn with stuffed animals across the ceiling, evoked a sense of nostalgia and took me back in time 20 years. The walls were adorned with the tiny plastic soldiers and sheets of pencil drawings. Crates of comics and children's books invited me to sit down on the bench and revisit my childhood, and all the while, music played from what seemed like an old radio.
I also enjoyed the walk-in greenhouse, which felt like a garden oasis. Greenery and flowers covered the walls and I was surrounded by soothing sounds of water.
My most favorite part was the combo CTA-Pullman train. Walking past some old, run-down signs, I entered a static CTA train car filled with vintage-looking ads above the seats. The bright train lights combined with the soft roar, station announcements, and unmistakable dings immediately made me feel like I was on a moving train. At the end of the car was a Pullman car, complete with old-style, plush armchairs, a Victrola record player, and a cabinet of old records that I could browse. The juxtaposition of old and modern, private and public, resonated with me long after I left the park.
Visitors of experiential spaces are no longer a passive observer, and these immersive experiences give visitors a more active role. Similar to how Artechouse Miami invites the visitor to be a creator, I felt like Nevermore Park invited the visitor to become a character and live out Brantley's fictional world.
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