Issue No. 40: Data, Dunes, and Dancing Droids: The Weekly Wondrous World

Issue No. 40 - Welcome to Issue No. 40 of The Experientialist, bold traveler, where we celebrate the number so celestial it’s basically the star of its own cosmic opera. Consider TRAPPIST-1, a star system (you guessed it) 40 light-years away, hosting not one, not two, but seven Earth-like planets.

And though the astrophysicists remain suspiciously quiet on the matter, it’s only logical to believe that each one is so experientially singular that it blows the others out of orbit, despite the others being equally, inexplicably the most experientially brilliant. Trust us, it makes total sense if you don’t think too hard about it.

So what are TRAPPIST-1's Earths-like planets, er, like? Imagine holographic operas sung by sentient nebulae, VR theme parks run by chatty supernovas, galactic food trucks serving zero-gravity fondue, immersive theaters where the cast is made of sentient fog, pop-up art installations powered by rogue comets, and museums curated by time-traveling historians who alway put the gift shop at the entrance. It’s a place where star clusters host silent discos, moons hold annual meteor parades, underwater dining experiences on oceans made of liquid crystal ripple in sync with live harp music, and planet-hopping escape rooms end with you befriending a sarcastic black hole. If TRAPPIST-1 can do all that, surely we can make this issue worth the trip.

TRAPPIST-1 may be light-years ahead, but the number 40 proves that it’s just as visionary without leaving Earth’s orbit. The number 40 strides through our four pillars–Design, Technology, Commerce, and Culture—like it owns the place... and then renovates it for good measure. In Design, it’s immortalized in the Great Pyramid’s 40-degree shafts and the Pantheon’s dome, towering 40 meters, as ancient architects collectively whispered, “Pre-flex alert: Architectural drip on another level.” Technology gave 40 its interstellar moment with Voyager 1’s four-decade-long journey, a mic drop for engineering persistence. Commerce? That’s 40’s practical side. Standardizing shipping containers at 40 feet quietly revolutionized global trade and is why your avocado toast ingredients arrive where they’re needed without a fuss. Culturally, 40 doubles down on gravitas, showing up as the days Moses spent on Mount Sinai, the count of early Christian martyrs in Sebaste, and the age when the Prophet Muhammad received revelations—all capped by hip-hop’s holy chalice, the iconic 40-ounce malt liquor, which somehow bridges the gap between spiritual endurance and liquid courage in one oversized bottle.

Ready yourself, dear reader, because this issue of The Experientialists takes you on a whiplash-inducing joyride from the icy depths of AI-generated glacier guilt to a desert LARP so elaborate it makes Burning Man look like a polite picnic. Along the way, we’ll dip you in a vat of performance-art foam (don’t worry, it’s probably metaphorical), teleport you through a Vegas disco vortex so immersive you’ll wake up with platform shoes, and enroll you in a VR-powered university where textbooks are obsolete, but dodging a holographic velociraptor is part of the final exam. And if that’s not enough, we’ll also introduce you to a historically inaccurate but extremely confident King Tut, a glowing rave tree that reacts to your questionable dance moves, and an entire art world sprinting toward digital enlightenment (or a very expensive therapy session)—all while museums nervously wonder if they should start selling popcorn.

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

Machine Yearning

Refik Anadol scours the planet collecting glacier tears, rainforest whispers, and centuries of artistic memory, then plugs them into computers that “hallucinate” shimmering visuals and scents. He’s convinced that merging high?tech machines with heartbeats, scents, and memories can turn once?boring data into digital art that practically hums with artificial life. And so he’s betting big that big data can be a paintbrush for empathy, community, and maybe even a new museum that responds to your mood swings in real time. Lareina Yee, senior partner at 麦肯锡 , sits down with Rafik at the recent World Economic Forum meeting in Davos to discuss his master plan for uniting technology and creativity without making humanity feel like a spare part. He discusses sonic ice cracks, flower aromas, and museum visitors’ brainwaves. At the end of it all, Rafik figures AI is our greatest friend if we feed it real stories and invite it to co?create a future that’s equal parts digital and human connection.?McKinsey & Co (26 minutes)

Proof That AI Loves Glaciers More Than Humans Do

Let's turn to Rafik's latest. You can now experience the beauty of environmental collapse without leaving Zurich—or your moral ambiguity. Kunsthaus Zürich just unveiled Glacier Dreams, a digital art installation by Refik Anadol, that transforms the world's glacier apocalypse into an art piece so immersive you'll wonder if you're inside an Arctic blender. Using over 110 million glacier images, AI, big data, a pile of NVIDIA GPUs so large it could melt a polar ice cap, and enough LED screens to blind the sun, this installation serves as both a warning about climate change and an opportunity for Instagram selfies with melting pixels. Sponsored by Swiss Bank Julius Baer, the message is clear: glaciers may be dying, but at least they’re dying beautifully. art daily (4 minutes)

Lost in the Art Void

Immersive art spaces are apparently the new kale chips of culture: no one asked for them, but suddenly they’re everywhere, and everyone’s pretending to like them. This Glasstire podcast episode is about experiences that claim to immerse you but mostly just make you question if you paid too much for a ticket and whether you’re legally allowed to touch anything. The hosts dissect how these spaces throw you into disorienting scenarios where you’re either "transported" or just wondering if this is how you die—surrounded by blinking LEDs and a lack of public bathrooms. The episode finishes with a noble attempt to balance accessibility and challenge,?which is code for "some people just want a normal day and not a metaphorical art maze that demands an emotional breakdown." Glasstire (52 minutes)

H&M Declares War on Paris Fashion Week, Deploys LARPing Instead

In what looks to be the sartorial equivalent of a midlife crisis, H&M, ever the innovator in budget-friendly trend-chasing,?ditched Paris Fashion Week and instead threw a three-day branded spectacle in the middle of the desert, presumably because they wanted to see if influencers would survive in the wild without WiFi.? The surreal three-day "immersive theater" spectacle in the Arizona desert included secret messages, BMX stunts, synchronized swimming, a fake radio show, and fake newspapers—because if you're going to gaslight people into thinking your event is high art, you might as well go all in.?Both the event and collection were allegedly inspired by the 1975 French film "Le Sauvage," though it's unclear if that inspiration included losing all sense of direction and rationing sunscreen. ?As attendees wandered through this promotional maze of intrigue, H&M executives patted themselves on the back for revolutionizing fashion marketing, blissfully unaware that they had, in fact, just reinvented Coachella—but without the music, celebrities, or even the vague promise of fun. One attendee, who was assured three-days of spontaneity and adventure, complained, "The only true adventure here was trying to explain to airport security why I was covered in desert dust and carrying a branded map to nowhere." Fashion Network (1 minute)

Now You Can Pretend to Afford These Clothes in 360 Degrees

Barneys New York, in an apparent effort to distract us from the fact that their clothes cost more than a used Honda, has unveiled Mantle, a virtual reality fashion show interpreting the psyches of humanity that fuses tech, dance, and couture in a display of pure brand synergy. Featuring designer clothes worn by emotionally profound dancers, the experience allows customers to immerse themselves in the artistry of a Prabal Gurung-clad pirouette through the magic of expensive headsets—or, if you’re slumming it, a regular screen. This visual masterpiece, produced with Samsung Electronics and the Martha Graham Dance Company, is available in-store, online, and through Samsung’s VR platform. To keep things truly immersive, the outfits in the film are also displayed in Barneys’ windows, ensuring that while you still can’t afford them, at least now you can not afford them in both digital and physical reality.

The Disco Diaries

Heather Gallagher M.Sc., the patron saint of experiential (and someone who clearly knows how to rock a sequin dress), takes us on a journey through Spiegelworld’s?#DiscoShow, where the 70s are resurrected with the subtlety of a glitter cannon. ?Follow her as the night escalates from roller-skating performers to a dance floor so vibrant it could cure seasonal depression—just don’t trip over your flared pants. If Heather says?DiscoShow?is worth your time, you can bet it’s going to be a night you’ll remember—or at least a night you’ll try to remember through the haze of Quaaludes, poppers, and whatever else was fueling the dance floor in 1977. (Pro tip: if you really want it to be immersive, you’ve got to go all out. Just don’t blame us if you wake up with a mirror ball-shaped headache.) LinkedIn (6 minutes)

Artist Drops Disco Balls on a Beach, Calls It "Poetry" and Walks Away

Somewhere on the desolate shores of Normandy, a shimmering entity has arrived—a floating metallic organism that mirrors both the shifting sky and the chaotic human soul. Is it a portal? A surveillance device from the robot overlords of the future? No, it’s Vincent Leroy’s latest kinetic sculpture, an undulating mass of hypnotic orbs that bends light, warps perception, and ensures that both seagulls and philosophy majors have something to stare at. The shimmering stainless steel orbs shift with the light, creating an endlessly reflective dreamscape, which is perfect for anyone who has ever thought, I wish I could see myself seeing myself while contemplating the meaning of clouds. With this latest work, Leroy proves that the truest form of artistic genius is making a bunch of floating spheres and convincing the world that they represent the poetic fragility of human existence.

Dancing in the Dunes

In a bold move that has left both immersive theater enthusiasts and camels deeply confused, Fabien Riggall, the man who once convinced grown adults to dress as Ewoks in a London warehouse, has now taken his talents to Saudi Arabia's AlUla desert, where he’s staging?Azira, a 90-minute spectacle involving modern dance, ancient cities, and presumably a lot of sand in uncomfortable places. (It seems like it was only last issue that we were covering James Turell's AlUla skylight cult.) The production, commissioned by the Royal Commission for AlUla, follows a female archeologist’s daughter as she uncovers a lost city—which is either a profound commentary on cultural heritage or or just an excuse to make people wear flowy costumes in 100-degree heat. Riggall, who sold Secret Cinema for a small fortune, is now determined to turn the Middle East into a hub for immersive entertainment, because nothing says “cultural evolution” like interpretive dance in a sandstorm. Variety (3 minutes)

A Sophisticated Soap Opera

For the low price of ten dollars, you too can don a hazmat-adjacent jumpsuit, stand perfectly still, and get foam-blasted in an abandoned warehouse by a man named Michail while a crowd silently watches, pretending it’s a metaphor for something deeper than just “this is a guy with too much access to industrial cleaning equipment.” Aptly titled?"Self-Brainwashing,"?Michail Michailov dresses participants in futuristic beekeeper outfits and places them methodically in position before the Foam Prophet blesses them with the sudsy power of two industrial-strength machines and, for some reason, a leaf blower. The show ends when Michailov gently retrieves his foamy disciples and releases them back into society, forever changed—or at least slightly damp. The experience is part art, part sensory deprivation, and part what I imagine happens in a high-end European car wash. Michailov interactive performance is either a groundbreaking commentary on modern detachment or just an overhyped way to get your dry-clean-only outfit absolutely ruined—but for ten bucks, why not take the risk? At this point, I’d pay just to feel something.

Scoops up, peeps! You can still see (or experience)?Michail Michailov's "Self-Brainwashing"?until February 8, 2025 at the Minnesota Street Project Foundation at 1201 Minnesota Street, San Francisco. There are three performances a week on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. You can learn more about the piece and find tickets?here.

Lose Your Mind and Find Your Groove

Otherworld is Philadelphia’s attempt to answer the question: "What if Coachella married Tron and raised their kids inside a laser factory?" The venue features 40,000 square feet and 55 rooms of art exhibits, a 20-foot light-up tree that reacts to music, and enough LED strips to guide planes to safety—plus pizza, because no trippy experience is complete without carbs. Oh, and Mr. Carmack showed up to baptize the venue with beats so powerful guest wished the merch store sold earplugs instead of t-shirts. EDM Identity (5 minutes)

Tutankhamun 2.0: More Lasers, Fewer Tomb Robbers

If you’ve ever thought, “Mummies are awesome, but could they be more...immersive?” then the new Tutankhamun exhibit coming to London this Spring may be your jam. With 360-degree video mapping, a walking Anubis, and holograms explaining the finer points of ancient embalming,?it proves at least two things: mummies will always be cooler than zombies, and the ancient Egyptians would’ve absolutely crushed TikTok.?It’s the history lesson you didn’t know you needed, brought to you with just enough technology to make you feel like you’re failing at modern life.

Scoops up, peeps! When: "Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition" runs from March 28, 2025 – June 19, 2025 at Immerse LDN, at Excel London Waterfront. Adult tickets will be priced from ￡20, children from ￡15.50. Get on the waitlist.

From Mummies to Motion Capture

The second wave of immersive institutions is here, and it’s growing faster than your uncle’s conspiracy theories about Wi-Fi.?This is leading museums to officially face an identity crisis: compete with massive digital entertainment experiences or go back to pretending people read all the plaques.? Thanks to the unstoppable march of VR, projection mapping, and people who refuse to engage with art unless it physically surrounds them, museums and galleries are now scrambling to figure out if they should embrace the trend or just become IMAX theaters.?With disruptors like our friends at Excurio and Antoine Lieutaud's Eclipso, people can now walk through pyramids without getting sand in their shoes, stand in Pompeii just before it gets absolutely wrecked, and listen to Renaissance painters explain their work—and possibly get into full-blown screaming matches about whether or not their rival is "ruining perspective for everyone." As museums desperately try to figure out if they’re in the business of preserving history or selling popcorn, tech investors are throwing money at the digital art revolution like it’s a new cryptocurrency. The Art Newspaper (8 minutes)

Textbooks Are Just Really Heavy, Expensive Paperweights

Trailblazer Aaron Grosky and the Dreamscape Learn team is here to mercilessly obliterate the concept of boring education, turning University of Nevada-Las Vegas’ classrooms into something that feels less like a lecture hall and more like a multi-million-dollar sci-fi blockbuster—but, you know, with actual learning. Instead of dry, soul-sucking lectures and slideshows about cell division , students will now be strapped into cutting-edge VR rigs, thrust into hyper-immersive landscapes, and possibly chased by an educationally approved CGI dinosaur. Aundrea Frahm, the inaugural director of immersive learning initiatives at UNLV, shares her vision of academia’s final form: a reality where textbooks are dead, holograms are teachers, and students might actually stay awake in class. if this doesn’t make learning more interesting, nothing will—short of strapping jetpacks to professors and replacing final exams with gladiator-style trivia battles. UNLV (6 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!