ARCADIA EARTH

A STORY for Introverts:

Dimly lit places are at the top of my checklist when planning a solo outing. It’s like having a superpower; you’re invisible to all the groups swimming past you, to the point where they might actually bump into you (it’s a small price to pay). If your checklist looks like mine, then I have good news! Arcadia Earth in Manhattan is dark, dark, dark.

Arcadia Earth is an interactive and virtual reality-based art installation promoting a cleaner, greener Earth through informational exhibits. Yeah, it’s a mouthful, but the experience is more than worth it. Know that this is an educational platform first and art exhibit second.

Team members direct you to download an easy-to-use app and show you a tutorial on how it works. I’m wary when an experience requires the use of an app, but this one worked as advertised and without glitching. It took photos and videos, saved them directly to my camera roll, and scanned the QR codes to offer more information on the artists, non-profits, and other resources supporting the exhibits. The aim was to educate the public on water pollution and deforestation mainly.

I’ve cycled through so many “museums” and “exhibitions” and “installations” like this. While the collection wasn’t revolutionary, I really want to emphasize how beautiful, grotesque, and informative the whole journey was. The facts are pretty straightforward; there’s no spicing up the figures and stats just to sell tickets. The seamless blend of magnificent art with a powerful message anchors Arcadia Earth ahead of the rest for me. Imagine if Meow Wolf had something impactful to say (and I’m in no way dissing Meow Wolf, but that’s a mesmerizing tale for another day) and added a virtual reality element!

Speaking of virtual reality, my absolute favorite stop was popping on those VR goggles. It’s just a small room with tables so participants can sit to avoid all the predictable stumbling and fumbling, but once you strap on that equipment, you’re on a different continent. Until I visited Arcadia Earth, I’d never kissed a lion. Now, I have! When the slides transition, you don’t know where you’ll be or who you’ll meet, but a quick swivel of the chair and you’re crossing eyelashes with an orangutang or a cobra. They were kind enough to warn of the more prickly and slithery animals, but I was enthralled even when my skin felt like crawling away. I didn’t want to leave.

Multiple signs and videos mentioned the resource Seafood Watch, describing it as an extensive seafood database. So it caught my attention when someone said it offers a list of fish and seafood that can we consume and what’s farmed inappropriately or going extinct, and therefore we shouldn’t consume. For the layperson (raises hand), the site might be tough to chew, but if you’re willing to follow a few links and spend some time on the site, I believe they’ve suggested a helpful resource.

Has anyone ever told you to invest in reuseable straws because plastic straws kill turtles? Did they follow up with where to find reuseable straws? Most likely they dropped that bomb and walked off. Arcadia Earth doesn’t do that. Sure, they tell you to use the reusable straw, but the second you step into the gift shop at the end of the maze, guess what’s staring you in the face? An assortment of reusable straws! I was impressed that they supplied the real-world solutions they’d just been cheering about inside. That might’ve been a first for me.

Just-So-You-Know DETAILS:

This installation’s primary goal is to educate, but it’s presented in an artistic way to capture your attention. Founder Valentino Vettori wants you to feel the impact of climate change, ocean pollution, deforestation, and other serious topics. The app equips you with the augmented reality tool, a carbon footprint quiz, and links to artists and organizations. The rooms are beautiful, even when intended to disturb or provoke you; one specific room hands you the virtual reality goggles meant to do just that. They finish it with a gift shop, which looks more like a corner store selling only the sustainable products mentioned throughout the exhibit.

The GIST – Should You Visit Arcadia Earth?

This experience is designed to engage you with the material, not the people. Dimmed lights keep the attention off you and the QR codes sprinkled across the walls and floors distract other visitors from your existence. If your goal is to go completely unnoticed, then you’re heading to Arcadia Earth. But it’s not just a hideout because the moving images are so lovely and delicate that you simply must follow that deer around the corner or rush to the next display for more information about phytoplankton. While disguising yourself as wallpaper, you’ll enjoy the art and the science.

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Originally published on June 10, 2022.

Get your tickets to Arcadia Earth and learn more about their environmental mission on their site.

Want another immersive experience? Read about Spectra Art Space in Denver.