Issue No. 39: Petals, Projections, and Playful Perspectives: The Weekly Wondrous World

Issue No. 39 - Welcome, spirited reader, to Issue No. 39 of The Experientialist, the newsletter edition that shares its number with the total chromosomes in a chicken—proof that even nature understands the art of keeping things balanced, functional, and slightly absurd. If chickens can carry the genetic blueprint for survival in just 39 steps, surely we can figure out immersive art and entertainment without breaking a sweat—or an egg.

39 isn’t just a number. It’s the glue that holds together our four pillars. Without 39, Design would crumble, Technology would freeze, Commerce would barter feral cats, and Culture would revert to interpretive grunting.

The number 39 has somehow managed to hustle its way into Design as the go-to reference for mystery, suspense, and being annoyingly enigmatic. Buchan gave it literary prestige, Hitchcock added a splash of black-and-white drama, and now designers sprinkle it into projects like parmesan on pasta—just enough to look fancy, not enough to make sense. It’s the kind of number that says, “I know what you’re hiding,” even if what you’re hiding is just a poorly optimized landing page. At this point, 39 isn’t a number—it’s a lifestyle, and it’s here to make every logo feel like it’s in witness protection.

Technically speaking, the number 39 is like a tech-savvy math nerd at a party—unassuming at first, but then it starts casually explaining its multiplicative persistence, which requires three steps to reduce to a single digit, and suddenly you’re Googling algorithms at 2 a.m. With 3×9=27, 2×7=14, and 1×4=4, it’s basically the nerdy sibling of recursive programming, but with less caffeine. And did you know 39 is the sum of three consecutive integers? That’s 12+13+14, or as 39 would call it, “just flexing my structured pattern muscles for fun.”

Think of 39 as the Hermione Granger of Commerce—always prepared, always excelling, and slightly annoyed you’re not keeping up. It brought us Code 39 barcodes, those pixelated overachievers that tag everything from aspirin to avocados while making sure your bananas don’t accidentally end up in the power tools aisle. Without them, the world’s logistics would be a chaotic scavenger hunt, and let’s be honest, we’re not emotionally prepared for that level of entropy. Meanwhile, the 39th parallel north is out here moonlighting as the global trade MVP, shuffling goods between continents like some over-caffeinated supply chain DJ who lives for the beat drop. This latitudinal side hustle so critical to trade that 39 probably has frequent floateer miles on every shipping route. Honestly, 39 is working overtime, but considering it’s holding up the economy like Atlas with a barcode scanner, we’ll let it bask in the spotlight.

Culturally, 39 moonlights as a multilingual cultural ambassador while simultaneously starting a bar fight. In Japan, the number takes a polite bow, as the digits 3 and 9 are read as "san" and "kyu," cheerfully chiming "thank you" like a well-mannered guest. Italy, as usual, ups the stakes, using +39 as the country code for thinkers who made the Middle Ages feel like a bad ex, pasta perfection, and knowing way too much about wine pairings. Afghanistan, however, flips the script entirely, making 39 the numerical equivalent of that shady uncle no one invites to weddings, declaring the digits synonymous with pimps and dishonor, making you wonder if this number has a secret double life in a soap opera we’re all accidentally part of.

With overwhelming evidence and an appropriate amount of melodrama, we’ve definitively established that 39 is the linchpin of reality, holding the universe together like a celestial roll of duct tape.

In this issue of The Experientialist, we embark on a multi-sensory dark ride where Chromasonic 's glowing cocoon tells your stress to "take five," and Minnesota’s Art Shanty Projects prove that frozen lakes are basically just eccentric art galleries waiting to happen. Along the way, we’ll uncover a haunted forest in France, where ghostly YouTubers and bad decisions roam free, and a museum in New York that crams 100 years of music into one harmoniously chaotic mixtape. We'll also visit a a musical scavenger hunt in Belgium, consider buying real estate in Sleeping Beauty’s castle, get submerged in the ever-shifting digital worlds of ARTECHOUSE , visit Tokyo’s ever-expanding チームラボ / teamLab Planets, dodge sunburn in James Turrell’s fancy desert flashlight fort, and investigate surrealist grocery store conspiracies at Meow Wolf 's Omega Mart. From kinetic flowers to rice-throwing robots, this issue is a celebration of all things strange, soothing, and spectacular.

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

See Sound, Hear Light, Feel Peace

After years of perfecting the craft of turning light and sound into a warm hug, Chromasonic has delivered The Chromasonic Field—a place where these elements join forces to tell your stress, “Sit down and hush.” It’s like therapy, but instead of talking about your childhood, you just lie there and let glowing screens and soothing hums gently rearrange your soul. Trust us (and James Wallman, for that matter)—you’ve never felt so peaceful lying on a concrete floor, and if you haven’t experienced it yet, what are you even doing with your life? We’ve the privilege of calling this amazing team our friends, having followed their incredible journey as they’ve masterfully harnessed the intersection of art and science to create experiences that stretch the boundaries of what these two worlds can dream up together. We’ve seen their work evolve from brilliant to mind-blowing, so don’t walk—so don’t walk—run—to experience this sensory sanctuary for yourself. LA Weekly (3 minutes)

Fun fact for the cool kids: Chromasonic Field evolved out of early experience called Sensory Field, which was presented by Google as part of Milan Design Week and that we wrote about in Issue 14.

Scoops up, peeps! The Chromasonic Field takes place at 677 Imperial St. in the Arts District. Get tix.

The Ghost Dog Diaries

If you’ve ever wanted to grieve in style, foxco’s "The Longest Night" is your go-to destination for heartwarming sadness. Foxco, aka Kaori Watanabe, is a Japanese illustrator, former Terrace House star, and someone who can apparently sketch your feelings better than you can describe them to a therapist. Her whimsical art combines delicate lines, rich colors, and just the right amount of emotional ambush to leave your heart slightly wobbly but somehow better for it.

"The Longest Night" features glowing ghost dogs frolicking under a lantern that doubles as an emotional planetarium, it’s like Disney, but with fewer songs and more catharsis. Throw in some ballerinas and a London skyline, and you’ve got an art exhibit that makes seasonal depression look downright magical.

Scoops up, peeps! “The Longest Night” is on display for free on the first floor of?Spiral at 5 Chome-6-23 Minamiaoyama, Minato City, Tokyo?through January 2025, between 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.?Head to foxco’s website or Instagram for updates and information.?

In 2014, Pietro Cataudella had a revolutionary thought: what if the world was his art supply closet? And so this Sicilian artist with no formal training but an endless supply of imagination spent the next decade turning the world into his sketchbook. Armed with a pencil, a camera, and the audacity to blend Spiderman into Tower Bridge, Pietro’s @CityLiveSketch projects is a seriesof "postcards 2.0" that are half art, half reality, and all charming chaos. His followers love him for making landmarks whimsical, while the Leaning Tower of Pisa probably wants a restraining order.

Scoops up, peeps! If you are intrigued by the fascinating world of CityLiveSketch, you can explore more of Pietro’s work by following him on Insta or visiting his portfolio on Behance.

DRIFT Blossoms in Milwaukee

Studio Drift B.V.'s "Meadow" brings to the Milwaukee Art Museum a soaring display of kinetic flowers that open, close, and pirouette like a sci-fi floral flash mob. Suspended beneath Santiago Calatrava LLC's architecture that looks like a spaceship trying taking flight, the aluminum-and-fabric flowers perform a gentle dance powered by DRIFTS's practical magic, moving in hypnotic unison to make you question if your houseplants are lazy. It's as if someone handed wildflowers a theater degree and told them to choreograph their feelings. designboom (3 minutes)

Scoops up, peeps! Studio DRIFTS' "Meadow" is exhibiting at the Milwaukee Art Museum?from January 18–April 13, 2025.

100 Years, 5 Boroughs, and Zero Earplugs

The Museum of the City of New York has somehow bottled 100 years of music, five boroughs of drama, and subway nostalgia into an exhibit that feels like a mixtape you didn’t know you needed. Songs of New York is the only place you’ll find Merle Haggard, Susanne Vega, and Lil’ Kim living in (visual and sonic) harmony. This exhibit combines 100 musical artists, legendary NYC photography, and a confusing amount of genres to prove one thing: New York City has always been louder and cooler than you.?So, if you’ve ever wanted to bop from a subway serenade to Tito Puente’s mambo magic while Yoko On side-eyes you from a photo, this exhibit is your new happy place.

Scoops up, peeps! Songs of New York opens February 15, 2025 at the Museum of the City of New York. Get more here.

Klankenbos: Where Nature and Noise Collide in Harmony

Welcome to Houses of Sound in the Klankenbos ("Sound Forest"), where the trees buzz, the huts hum, and the forest seems to be performing a John Cage piece you’re not sure how to applaud. Here, you can climb into a metal tube to feel sonar waves vibrate your deepest insecurities away, sit between sound boxes that amplify every crunch of your hiking boots like they’re the star of the show, and try not to laugh when you realize tin cans have been doing ASMR before it was cool. Artist Pierre Berthet's 17 bizarre installations hum, buzz, and occasionally thrum with the energy of a stressed-out jazz band, it’s basically a musical scavenger hunt for grown-ups who miss recess. By the end, you’ll wonder if you’ve experienced art, been gently mocked by it, or just accidentally joined a noise cult. It’s free, it’s weird, and it’s the only place where ambient noise feels like both the artist and the art.

Scoops up, peeps! Houses of Sound can be found in Klankenbos ("Sound Forest"), located at 5 Toekomstlaan in Neerpelt, Belgium. Atlas Obscura can put you on with more info.

The Midwest’s Coolest (Literally) Art Party

For the first time in two years, organizers of the Art Shanty Projects are embracing the biting cold, as bone-chilling temperatures bring the perfect frozen canvas for their ice-bound celebration of creativity. Only Minnesotans could turn a frozen lake into a full-on festival where you can knit a roof, dance in a disco sauna, and get turned into a cat. Think the cold is isolating? Think again! Locals proudly treat the arctic tundra as their personal playground, turning ice-skating and clowning into extreme sports. If 13 inches of ice can hold this much eccentricity, it’s time to rebrand winter as a season for creative chaos.

Scoops up, peeps! The Art Shanty Projects are scheduled for Saturdays and Sundays from January 18 to February 9, 2025, running from 10?a.m. to 4?p.m. each day. This annual event takes place on Bdé Umá? (Lake Harriet) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Climate Change Meets Creative Chaos

In what might be the world's most ambitious attempt to make art, science, and technology do a high-stakes trust fall, Symptomatica Horizon serves up a sensory showcase for the brave and curious. Held at the 798 Cube in Beijing, the show asks visitors to “reconstruct their perceptions,” which is code for “prepare to feel confused and inspired at the same time.”?Featuring dozens of tech-enabled, immersive works by artists around the world, it is what might happen if a science fair got locked in a room with an art collective and emerged with climate-saving ambitions and a better aesthetic.?It’s part TED Talk, part acid trip, and all an elaborate excuse to make you think about technology’s impact on humanity while dodging climate guilt. China Daily (2 minutes)

Scoops up, peeps! "Symptomatica Horizon" is exhibiting at the 798 Cube, an art space inside Beijing's 798 art zone, until April 30, 2025.

Let There Be Light

Imagine God commissioned a church but asked for “something minimalist, eco-friendly, and Instagram-worthy.” Enter The Shadowless Church, also known as the Sino-French Agricultural Science and Technology Park in Chengdu, China. Designed by Shanghai Dachuan Architects, this beam-of-light structure in a lavender field (a Provencal allusion to the whole Sino-French Agricultural part) looks like it was designed by an angel with an art degree. It’s part spiritual retreat, part modern art installation, and 100% allergic to traditional church vibes. World Architecture (5 minutes)

Aisle of Intrigue

Designing Meow Wolf's Omega Mart taught experience-design ninja Joanna Garner that the best stories don’t just sit in the background—they leap out, grab you by the collar, and scream, "Solve me, human!" I learned this firsthand while trailing my 10-year-old son through four hours of haunting frozen pea aisles and navigating the surreal employee breakroom, where motivational posters whisper ominous secrets. He somehow managed to piece together the entire story-game, leaving me both proud and slightly unnerved by his aptitude for unraveling corporate conspiracies in a neon fever dream. From a power-hungry CEO with a missing daughter to factory trailheads that lure you into side quests, Omega Mart is like Twin Peaks if it took place in a neon grocery store (posthumous shout-out to David Lynch, who is not dead, just perpetually in another dimension). Joanna's lesson? Good storytelling involves mystery, bold characters, and just enough chaos to keep people wondering if the butter aisle holds the meaning of life. LinkedIn ( minutes)

teamLab Now With 200% More Spheres, Forests, and Bragging Rights

teamLab Planets TOKYO is back and bigger than ever—literally—expanding its immersive playground of art and chaos by 1.5 times. With attractions like bouncing spheres, climbing through imaginary bird flocks, and catching digital extinct animals, it’s the closest you’ll get to a gym membership that also teaches you about biodiversity. And if you’ve ever wanted to turn your art into a T-shirt or tote bag, congratulations—your inner Etsy shop dreams are about to come true.

Scoops up, peeps! teamLab Planets is at 6 Chome-1-16 Toyosu, Koto City, Tokyo. In addition to the video above, here’s more on the teamLab Planets expansion. It’s the kind of stuff that makes you wonder if Tokyo is quietly winning the race to make museums the new amusement parks.

100 Creators Submerged In a 100-Year-Old Boiler Room

If ARTECHOUSE’s “Submerge” were a sci-fi movie, Sandro Kereselidze would be the benevolent overlord inviting 100 digital art geniuses to reprogram the universe. Over the course of 2025, Jamestown's Chelsea Market becomes the epicenter of bold, brain-melting creativity, with rotating exhibitions featuring AI visions, 3D magic, and multimedia brilliance that practically rewires your imagination. ?It's not just an art show—it’s a mentorship factory, a talent incubator, and a spectacular reminder that Sandro is always 10 steps ahead of the rest of us mere mortals.

Scoops up, peeps! "Submerged" exhibits through December 31, 2025 at ARTECHOUSE New York located?at 439 West 15th Street inside the?100-year-old boiler room of?Chelsea Market.?

Living Leisurely Ever After

Katapult | B-Corp Certified' new report confirms what we all suspected: a quarter of us would gladly live in a theme park, because nothing says “home” like endless parades and overpriced turkey legs. According to Philip Higgins and crew, 25% of visitors dream of calling a theme park home, proving that people really do want to wake up next to a churro stand. Robbie Jones, insight director, explains that with 65% Gen Z imagining life inside their favorite TV shows and attractions leaning into big-name intellectual properties, theme parks are evolving into permanent fantasy escapes. The big question now is: Do theme park mortgages come with FastPasses? Get on the waitlist here. Blooloop (4 minutes)

The AlUla Desert Gets Its Own James Turrell Skylight Cult

Imagine walking through a canyon and realizing someone turned it into a high-end laser tag arena for philosophers. That’s what James Turrell is cooking up with his latest "Skyspace" chambers in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla desert, where he’ll use oculus openings and desert vibes to make you question reality—or at least the price of admission. Expect a sprawling, art-infused maze where you can marvel at his obsession with the “thingness of light,” which is art-world code for "I put a hole in the ceiling, and now it’s profound."?(This is what happens when you give an artistic genius a stepladder and free time.) If you’ve ever wanted to climb stairs in search of the meaning of light, congratulations, your time has come. dezeen (3 minutes)

Scoops up, peeps! Wadi AlFann presents James Turrell runs from January 16, 2025 to April 19, 2025 at the AlUla Arts Festival.

Come Confused, Leave Enlightened (Or Still Confused)

In its ninth year, Serendipity transformed Goa into a sprawling art funhouse featuring everything from rice-throwing robots to a man who danced his way out of sand dunes daily, only to have them rebuilt like a Sisyphean TikTok. Highlights included AI recreations of Monet’s masterpieces and a bizarrely popular living statue near the food court which may or may not have been part of the exhibits. In the end, the festival ultimate triumph was showing that art appreciation is 10% understanding and 90% getting lost in it. STIR (7 minutes)

A Love Letter to Slow Art

To Amanda Wall, the contemporary art world feels like a mall: too bright, too loud, and too full of overpriced objects nobody really needs. Between factory-made Damien Hirsts and mass-produced Koonian chrome, the art world has forgotten what it means to take one’s time—just ask the Mona Lisa. Wall reflects on how exhibitions like the Met's Siena: The Rise of Painting and Malaysian artist Anne Samat’s woven wonders remind us that art isn’t about quantity or gloss but the connection between hands, hearts, and history. Meanwhile, she observes, a younger generation of subway-book-readers and digital nomads quietly plots a rebellion against fast art with nothing more than authenticity and, occasionally, fiber. White Hot Magazine (6 minutes)

The Art Show That Refuses to Stay in Its Lane

In a world where paintings now need soundtracks, digital artist Jake Andrew takes his synaesthesia superpowers to Dubai. His exhibition “Syzygy” crams digital paintings, physical canvases, and music into a 10.5-meter screen so immersive that it practically smacks you in the face with culture. It’s so cutting-edge, you’ll feel like a boomer if you don’t pretend to understand it. If you’ve ever wondered what art would look like after taking a spin in a blender, this is your answer.?Khaleej Times (7 minutes)

Scoops up, peeps! "Syzygy" runs until January 26 at Mondoir Gallery, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard Downtown Dubai.

Ways to Sell Us Things While Tugging at Our Fragile Hearts

We’re all about experiences that make you feel something (Empathy) and do something (Agency) at The Experientialists. Experiential moments are the golden middle where your emotions throw a block party with your sense of control. Nostalgia is the ultimate empathy hack—it's the DJ at that block party, spinning tracks that remind you of simpler times, when your biggest concern was how to beat level 3 of Mario Kart without losing a red shell. Rhett Power lays out how brands are harnessing both empathy and agency through art and nostalgia, turning our collective yearning for "simpler times" into a cash cow that moos itself into record-breaking profits. The Coca-Cola Company wants you to relive your youth, recalling simpler times, one personalized soda bottle at a time. Meanwhile, interactive art installations like Kusama’s Obliteration Room puts agency into people’s hands, turning them from consumers into co-creators, while letting you feel like you’re in kindergarten again—minus the mandatory naps. Nostalgia isn’t just a wistful feeling anymore. It’s a corporate weapon of mass emotional persuasion. And pairing the empathetic power of nostalgia with art creates emotional Velcro: it sticks in your brain long after you've walked out of the museum, theme park, or grocery store soda aisle. The takeaway is clear: you’re not buying the product—you’re buying the feeling that life used to be better. But Rhett is optimistic: at least businesses are using art to make the manipulation aesthetically pleasing. Rolling Stone (8 minutes)

Into the Woods

Tired of predictable horror movies? Black Gargoyle lets you star in your very own, complete with a cursed forest, missing YouTubers, and just enough terror to make you wonder why you left home. Part escape game, part immersive nightmare, Black Gargoyle’s immersive horror experience isn’t for the faint of heart—or the rationally minded. This Seine-et-Marne attraction guarantees 140 minutes of adrenaline, bad decisions, and the slight chance you’ll never look at trees the same way again. Whether you’re investigating centuries-old forest murders (La F?ret) or dabbling in YouTube ghost hunting gone terribly wrong (Le Sacrifice), it’s all fun and games until the darkness decides it doesn’t like you. Perfect for anyone who’s ever thought, “What if I turned my worst nightmare into a team-building exercise?” So bring your courage, a flashlight, and a questionable sense of adventure—because apparently, evil takes no days off in Seine-et-Marne.

Scoops up, peeps! Black Gargoyle runs in the forest of Seine-et-Marne. You can get more information and to book tickets here.

Dinner and a Show?

Netflix ix is trading screen time for snack time by opening a new "Netflix Bites" restaurant in Las Vegas, because apparently, binge-watching wasn’t immersive enough—now you can binge-watch while binging, completing the ultimate loop of overindulgence.? Menu highlights include Stranger Things-themed chicken and waffles and Bridgerton tea service that might leave you wishing you wore a corset for “the vibe.” Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Hotel & Casino Las Vegas nd is hosting this pop-culture buffet, proving once again that in Sin City, nothing is off the menu—not even corporate synergy. And Mastercard holders get perks, so if you’re already in credit card debt, why not sprinkle some parmesan on top? Hollywood Report (2 minutes)

Let's Dive Deeper Together

Hey there, we are Lou Pizante and Maria S Redin, co-founders of The Experientialists and the curious minds behind our mothership newsletter: "The Experientialist." This newsletter is our playground, a place where art, technology, commerce and culture dance together. But it's not just about what we have to say – it's about sparking conversations, learning from each other, and growing our collective knowledge.

We are 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/entertainment or groundbreaking tech, we're all ears.

Why not reach out? Let's connect and explore these fascinating intersections together. Drop us a message at [email protected] and let's see where our conversation takes us. And please follow us on LinkedIn. We are looking forward to hearing from you!