No. 5: Dreams, Drama, and Daring Dimensions: The Weekly Wondrous World

Issue No. 5 - Welcome to Issue No. 5 of "The Experientialist," where I'm serving up a quintuple scoop of mind-bending creativity – because who needs reality when you've got five times the imagination? In the mystical realm of numerology, the number five is like a party animal, symbolizing freedom, change, and a penchant for adventures that would make even the most seasoned thrill-seeker blush. Imagine a high-five connecting mid-air over the Grand Canyon, only to realize you're both on unicycles – that's the kind of unexpected harmony we're channeling here. This issue weaves together a tapestry of audacity, where every idea leaps off the conventional catwalk in a bold fashion faux pas, proving that originality always earns standing ovations and that fifth time's the charm for those who dare to dream.

In this issue, we're diving into "The Lost Inn," where fantasy and 1930s detective noir coalesce in a mesmerizing theatrical blend at the San Francisco Mint. We trek across the sandy art galleries of Desert X in AlUla, where art challenges perception, and then take a digital leap into the Fortnite universe, where Disney and Epic Games redefine the metaverse. From the high-rise digital jungles of teamLab to the whimsical OUTERverse and the future of AI in museums, we're exploring realms where reality is just the starting point for extraordinary experiences.

So, as you delve into Issue No. 5 of "The Experientialist," let your imagination unfurl its wings and soar. Far from a weekly digest, the stories weave a narrative that intertwines design, technology, commerce and culture into a vibrant mosaic of a universe brimming with awe-inspiring possibilities.

Whether you're here for a light read or to see if reality really can bend to the will of imagination, buckle up! I promise a journey that's as enlightening as it is entertaining, with just enough quirkiness to make the ordinary extraordinary. Join me in a world where the only limit is how far your imagination can stretch. Because "The Experientialist" isn't just a newsletter, it's a portal to the extraordinary.

So off we are, here were go, let's dig in...

Where Reality Checks Out and Fantasy Clocks In

This week, “The Lost Inn: Immersive Dark Faerie Noir” flung open its metaphorical curtains, magically morphing Non Plus Ultra 's San Francisco Mint venue into a portal to another realm, and frankly, we're still looking for the exit. Think of it as a delightful collision between a gritty 1930s detective story and an enchanting faerie tale. It's the only place in town where where you might bump into a detective looking for a mythical item or a faerie sipping a martini. I could not be more impressed by our friends and partners at 13th Floor who sprinkled faerie dust all over our historic venue, transforming it into a storybook come to life with whimsical spaces, a forested tavern, and a carnival midway that would make even the most staid elf crack a smile. But don't just take my word for it – even the ever-stoic Chronicle was gushing in their review: “As a work of immersive theater, the production’s creativity was a marvel to behold.” They're practically never that effusive, unless it's about pickle ball. The original run dates are sold out, but we have added more. Tickets are available here . SF Chronicle (7 minutes )

Ancient Deserts, Modern Art

DESERT X is back for another round in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, transforming the desert into a canvas for contemporary art that's so immersive, you might just forget you're not in a giant, sandy art gallery. This year's theme, "In the Presence of Absence," sounds like a paradox that only artists and philosophers could love, challenging visitors to explore the unseen, like a highbrow game of hide-and-seek with history and art. With installations ranging from KIMSOOJA STUDIO 's light-bending spiral to Ayman Yossri Daydban's mysterious desert football pitch, it’s like Coachella for the artsy set, but with more rocks and less floral crowns. Design Boom (3 minutes)

A Metaverse Where Dreams (and Profits) Come True

In an epic mashup that makes the metaverse actually matter, The Walt Disney Company and Epic Games team-up aims to transform Fortnite into a kind of digital Disneyland, minus the overpriced churros. Disney is not just playing games - we're talking interdimensional fairyland hotels, Marvel-themed skyscrapers, and Star Wars cruise ships, all without leaving your avatar. If the metaverse was supposed to be on its way out, clearly nobody slipped Mickey Mouse the memo.

The VOID Strikes Back

Like a journeyman magician reappearing after questing for his grandest trick, Curtis Hickman is playfully taunting us with hints of The VOID 's future. I for one am eyes-wide-opened (and headset mounted) waiting, spellbound and eager, to see what is coming!

teamLab's Sky-High Sensory Overload

Behold another peak into teamLab Inc. 's latest "I-can't-believe-it's-not-a-psychedelic-trip" exhibition. Featureing over 50 artworks -- from slow-blooming digital flowers, to "wobbling" orbs (because stable orbs are so 2018), to a room where light rains down like a high-tech monsoon -- it's like stepping into a world where the laws of physics got bored and wandered off. Director Toshiyuki Inoko's aim is to make you ponder life, but most visitors are too busy wondering how light can wobble and if it's okay to poke it. The labyrinthine is on display in Tokyo's tallest skyscraper because, according to Toshiyuki, "ground level is so mainstream." To what end does this fantastical project serve? He insists it's about touching people's souls, but we all know it's really about touching their social media feeds. France 24 (2 minutes)

Von Drake Leads the Shareholder Charge

In a twist that makes corporate governance look like a Saturday morning cartoon, The Walt Disney Company has enlisted Professor Ludwig Von Drake, the most academically inclined duck in the Disney universe, to star in an animated video, urging shareholders to vote in the most Disney way possible: only for their chosen 12. It's like having your favorite uncle explain the stock market, but with more feathers and fewer practical qualifications. The video, which could double as a Disney+ exclusive, passionately urges shareholders to vote for the "magical" dozen Disney nominees, and subtly implies that voting for the Trian Group is akin to inviting a villain to the Magic Kingdom's board meeting. Alas, in the world of Disney, even shareholder meetings need a touch of narrative drama.

Post-Impressionism Meets Post-Modern Tech

The Musée d'Orsay , not content with mere paintings and sculptures, threw an immersive Van Gogh show that smashed attendance records like a pi?ata at a 7-year-old's birthday party. They drew in a staggering 793,556 visitors, proving that nothing screams "cultural sophistication" quite like strapping on a VR headset and pretending to chat with a 19th-century Dutch artist about his mental health struggles. The show featured Van Gogh's last months, allowing audiences to experience the troubled genius's final days in stunning 3D? Bonus feature: an AI Van Gogh who, despite being Dutch, chats in an English accent. I guess historical accuracy is obviously overrated when you can have your very own Van Gogh Siri. The Collector (3 minutes)

Local Bakeries Mystified by Sudden Interest in Caribbean Cakes

Hulu , in a stunning display of corporate creativity that surely no one has ever thought of before, decided to use local bakeries and coffee shops as a Trojan Horse for their latest show, "Black Cake". They cleverly disguised their marketing ploy as a cultural event, giving out free Caribbean cakes and redecorating cafes with show-themed paraphernalia. This groundbreaking strategy extended to college campuses and bookstores, where they disguised marketing as educational enrichment - because if there's one thing college students love more than free food, it's corporate synergy! Event Marketer (3 minutes)

High Art

In Los Angeles, where even the buildings have a flair for drama, two unfinished skyscrapers have decided to skip the whole luxury condo route and go full Banksy instead. These towering rebels, left high and dry by their developers some years back, are now flaunting 27 stories of graffiti, turning an abandoned, mundane real estate project into a monument to urban expression. While some in city hall are losing their minds over this unexpected art project, I’m digging it. At least someone is doing something with this stack of unfinished concrete. Perhaps it’s just that I always look for a silver lining, even if it’s spray-painted.

Reality Just Isn't Enough Anymore

The always on it Bea Mitchell at Blooloop spotlights 2024 trends in the attractions industry, where new technologies are being chased around like a cat after a laser pointer. Leading the charge are holograms that could make you second-guess reality, robots that might have better social skills than your average teenager, and AI that's probably plotting to take over the world, but in the meantime, it's busy enhancing your museum trips. If this tech frenzy continues, I wouldn't be surprised if next year's article is about a theme park on Mars, curated by robot overlords and holographic tour guides offering virtual Martian ice cream. Blooloop (13 minutes)

Where Giant Heads and Cosmic Kitchens Await

In the whimsical news of the day, the UK-based Wake The Tiger 'amazement park' has boldly expanded into what Graham MacVoy and crew call the "OUTERverse", because let's face it, the regular universe just isn't cutting it anymore. This expansion is like a psychedelic trip minus the ayahuasca, offering an array of rooms where you can watch yourself disintegrate into particles or play with a giant head – and no, you don't need a trip doctor to guide yuou. If you're tired of mundane reality, you probably need a couple of hours in a place that sounds like it was dreamt up by a group of techno-artists on a sugar high. Blooloop (4 minutes)

Corporate Tango Leaves Users in Silence

In a dramatic turn of events that could only be compared to a high school breakup, Universal Music Group and TikTok have hit a sour note, with UMG pulling at least 17 chart-topping tracks from the app because, apparently, TikTok's piggy bank jingle isn't making enough music to their ears. TikTok users are now left high and dry, unable to use popular tracks for their cat videos and dance challenges, while UMG is probably in the corner counting its pennies and crying about how their music is undervalued. Meanwhile, TikTok is busy crafting bootleg versions of songs and remixes, proving that when life gives you lemons, you make unauthorized lemonade and hope nobody sues. Billboard (4 minutes)

A Journey Through Your Streaming Queue in Real Life

In what sounds like a theme park designed by your couch-potato self, Paramount+ is rolling out The Lodge, an immersive experience that brings a smorgasbord of TV shows and movies to life. To cross The Lodge's threshold is to step into the world of SpongeBob SquarePants, play chess in Frasier Crane's mind, and touch Halo artifacts - it's like Comic-Con but with more photo ops and less cosplay. And for sports fans, there's the CBS Sports World at The Paramount+ Pub, where you can toss rings and kick soccer balls while sipping on a sports-themed cocktail, because nothing says "athletic prowess" like a carefully mixed skinny margarita. Collider (2 minutes)

Hello World, Meet Bluesky

In the world of social media, where copying each other is more common than original ideas, Bluesky emerges from its invite-only cocoon to flutter its decentralized wings in the public eye. Think of it as Twitter, Inc. 's more adventurous sibling, funded by Jack Dorsey and stubbornly insisting on open-source code and customizable user experiences. As Bluesky tries to find its place in the social media zoo, somewhere between the 130-million-user-strong Threads and the enigmatic, giant Mastodon in the room, I'm left feeling like a new kid at school trying to figure out which lunch table is the coolest. Techcrunch (4 minutes)

Measuring the Immeasurable

Amelia Dunlop 's and Deloitte Digital 's new report reveals that chief experience officers are navigating a minefield of modern business challenges, from making friends with AI without sparking a robot uprising to finding enough "experienced" experience talent. It's a tough gig, trying to measure something as slippery as "experience" and convincing other execs that yes, happy customers and employees are actually good for business. These CXOs are part corporate soothsayers, part talent scouts, all while trying to measure the unmeasurable: customer and employee joy. It's like herding cats, if the cats were data points and AI algorithms with plotted on a chart of existential dread. You can download the report here .

A Full-Sized Hamburger-Themed Muscle Car

McDonald's , never one to shy away from a PR stunt, has unleashed the Hamburglar in a custom 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, aptly named the "Burgercuda." This fast-food fanatic's dream car is on a cross-country burger heist, and spotting it could land you a year's supply of free burgers, which is either a prize or a threat, depending on your cholesterol level. The car itself is a rolling McDonald's ad, complete with a burger heating console and a shift knob the color of mustard, proving that subtlety is not on the menu. It's like a Happy Meal on wheels, but with way more horsepower and a side of nostalgia. Hyperbeast (2 minutes)

Why I dig the awesomeness of the "Burgercuda" is a no-brainer for those who know about my work at Project Wreckless , which empowers the most "at risk" youth through the restoration of classic American muscle cars. You can donate to Project Wreckless here .

Let's Dive Deeper Together

Hey there, I'm Lou Pizante, the curious mind behind "The Experientialist." This newsletter is my playground, a place where art, technology, culture, and commerce dance together. But it's not just about what I have to say – it's about sparking conversations, learning from each other, and growing our collective knowledge.

I'm always on the lookout for fascinating new experiences, innovative ideas, and intriguing perspectives. If you've got a story, a project, or a brainwave that you're itching to share, or if you're just keen to chat about the latest in immersive art or groundbreaking tech, I'm all ears.

Why not reach out? Let's connect and explore these fascinating intersections together. Drop me a messag e, and let's see where our conversation takes us. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!