Permanent Art-Fueled Experiential Museum Will Feature Over 40 Galleries Bursting With Light, Color, Sound, And Natural Elements Designed To Stimulate Imagination,Heighten Curiosity And Serve As A One-Of-A-Kind Experience
Seismique (seis · mick) – a 40,000-square-foot art-fueled experiential museum coming to Houston’s west side – will soon capture the attention and imagination of wide-ranging audiences who will not be able to resist the gravitational pull of 40-plus unique exhibits overflowing with dazzling displays of light generated by 9 million LEDs, color, sound, and natural elements when the multi-dimensional immersive concept lands at 2306 South Highway 6 on Saturday, December 26.
The first-to-market arts and entertainment space will feature works by over two dozen established and emerging artists – many of whom are Texas-based – along with advanced technological elements like projection mapping from 111 projectors, holograms, augmented reality, light mapping, motion tracking, gamification and more. Though visitors can expect to see and experience multiple art forms in a playful setting, each of Seismique’s installations shares the common denominator of being a dynamic expression of visual art brought to life by a bevy of serious artists.
“I am really looking forward to seeing the expressions on peoples’ faces when they experience Seismique for the first time; I liken it to the equivalent of walking through a portal and into an alternative universe that is a feast for the senses,” said Seismique creator Steve Kopelman, a seasoned veteran of the immersive experience and escape game industries. He added, “This year has been exceedingly difficult for the whole world, and we want Seismique to serve as something of a pandemic panacea – a place where visitors can transport themselves to another realm and find creative inspiration through the artistic manifestation of 40 different exhibits. That is a long way of saying we just want people to forget their worries and have fun, albeit in a responsible and safe environment.”
To that end, Seismique will follow the templates of other Houston museums and open at limited capacity, accordingly. Masks will be required, and all of the interactive elements will be frequently and thoroughly sanitized with a state-of-the-art misting system. For a completely touchless experience, guests can also utilize an integrated Seismique mobile app created for the space to avoid touching dials and knobs.
In addition, Seismique has installed 40 motion-tracking cameras – including Microsoft Kinect Azures and Real Sense cameras – that will provide additional non-contact interaction by tracking patron movement in several areas of the facility. These cameras collectively function to activate parts of the experience without a guest needing to touch anything. The cameras and their software bring specific elements of Seismique to life as guests are simply moving about the rooms in which the cameras are equipped.
Among the many notable artists bringing Seismique to life is acclaimed Japanese crochet artist Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam, who has been exhibiting artwork around the world since the 1960s. Horiuchi MacAdam’s award-winning project ‘public art for kids’ – which began as an installation for a park in Tokyo – has evolved into a signature concept dubbed AirPocket. The multi-colored playscape resembles a giant hammock made of crocheted circles, open pockets, and dangling pendulums for climbing and playing.
“There is really nothing like Seismique anywhere in the world,” Kopelman emphasized. He added, “My collaborator, Josh Corley, and I have been inspired and influenced by many artists before us and from our travels throughout the world. Seismique is a singular manifestation of our collective imaginations.”
Just some of the out-of-this-world experiences that await an Avatar-inspired exhibit dubbed Eden – a large gallery conceived of and constructed by New Orleans artist David Carry in collaboration with Brian Val Habisreitinger that will provide the perfect respite amid the hustle and bustle of Seismique’s other spaces. Featuring oversized carved trees, custom lighting and ultra-violet, blacklight reactive painting, the visually stimulating garden astounds with three large holograms throughout the room that come complete with alien visitors.
Another gallery – the room called Venus – is a multi-dimensional playground emulating the surface of the planet Venus that has been hand-crocheted by the aforementioned Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam as one of her previously described AirPocket concepts. One of only three pieces of its kind in the entire country, the exhibit’s structure utilizes a specially constructed net that is resilient and responsive to the slightest movement. This innovative design allows tension to be maintained as the fiber stretches –thereby enabling safe interaction with Venus. This piece is surrounded by Chicago artist C.J. Hungerman’s mural dubbed “Ocular Existence”. As a display of kinetic energy, Hungerman’s art installation creates movement through a dynamic splash of color. The circular cloud shape – or Oculus – is a colorful focal point on the wall that gazes upon the sculpture and those enjoying it. The installation’s other shapes create movement and support for the negative, or white spaces around them – drawing from the energy of people inside the room at any given moment. These shapes and colors abstractly represent the diverse nature ofhumankind, which is collectively comprised of a vast array of different colors and shapes.
Guests can expect long lines in the eagerly awaited Acid Rain room, an optical illusion marvel by Smooth Technology that has been designed and constructed by Mark Roberts, within which visitors walk through water raining from the ground up without getting wet as eerily illuminated green water walls fall from an exterior circular structure. A path forms as guests explore the space while magically not getting wet from rainwater that shockingly appears to rise from the ground. Once inside the glowing center, the rain lets up and eventually stops in midair. In another instant, the rain begins falling downward in an Earthly fashion as if nothing ever happened.
Social media enthusiasts will no doubt revel in The Color Portal, a vibrant pathway that guides each guest from the two-tone aesthetic of the black and white Lobby into the majestic world of colorful galleries that populate Seismique. Created and installed by the above-named David Carry, The Color Portal provides a thoroughfare to many of Seismique’s expansive spaces like The Hub – a 70-foot spaceship also constructed by Carry that boasts over 1,000,000 LEDs. The Hub is additionally enhanced by thrusters designed by Smooth Technology that drop calming bubbles, which are filled with fog and enveloped by walls designed and painted by artists Kai Ussin and Austin Linkinhoker (artist name Shokka). As Seismique’s largest installation, The Hub’s vibrant imagery further accentuates the concept’s euphoric atmosphere and will ultimately house future concerts and special events.
“Josh and I are both proud Houstonians, and we’re excited to launch Seismique in our own backyard to enhance what is already one of the best places on Earth for art and culture. When President Kennedy gave his 1962 moon-shot speech at Rice University, he espoused the virtues of space as a vast frontier that beckons never-ending exploration. Nearly 60 years later in the same city, Seismique will further embody the limitless potential of space exploration through the lenses of art and technology,” Kopelman concluded.
Tickets to Seismique are now available and are priced at $35 for adults and $28 for children 12 and under for General Admission. A VIP ticket option is also available at $45 for adults and $38 for children. The VIP experience grants guests walk-in entry at any time on the selected date of their ticket without having to wait in line, allows them to visit the Acid Rain Room without waiting in line, and includes discounted pricing on food at the in-house Cosmique Café and merchandise at Seismique’s Gift Shop.