The House of Eternal Return

Posted by Amaya Hoke in Santa Fe

Meow Wolf will be opening an arts education center for children and a resource center for adult artists. Photo by Richard Sweeting

The only way to understand Santa Fe’s upcoming interactive art exhibit, the House of Eternal Return, is as its own reality distorting community. It’s been more than a year since famous author and Jean Cocteau owner George RR Martin purchased the 33,000 square foot abandoned bowling alley that will ultimately become Santa Fe’s most peculiar art exhibit ever. Meow Wolf, the popular local arts collective, has spent the last 14 months submersed in refurbishing the site into its newest, permanent multimedia installation. “We approached him and said, here’s this crazy idea for this [building] and he said, ‘Alright, let’s do it,’” Vince Kadlubek, cofounder and CEO of Meow Wolf, explains.

What emerged from this exchange is a multitude of resources including an incredible viewing experience, a makerspace and even public craft workshops that can cater to the artistic vision of students at Santa Fe University of Art and Design.

While Martin paid for the building and renovations including reconstructing walls and elaborate electrical work, the $2.5 million attained so far for the $2.7 million Meow Wolf project was funded entirely through private and local investors. It is due to these investments that Meow Wolf was not only able to attain materials for the exhibit but to bring in about 120 artists on payroll. “We hope this exhibit will start to shift the culture and identity of Santa Fe for more creative jobs,” Kadlubek says.

Vince Kadlubek sports a protective hard hat in the construction area. Photo by Richard Sweeting

The site includes crafting areas open to the public of Santa Fe including a 2,000 square foot arts education center funded by the nonprofit foundation, CHIMERA. “We really want to spark the creative process,” Kadlubek says. “It’s to teach kids basic art skills and basic tech fabrication.” A more adult oriented makerspace, a 21^st century creative lab, is also located on site and includes 3D printing, laser cutting, sewing machines and more. This space will be available as a monthly membership to the adult artists of Santa Fe.

While the site already offers a huge resource for local artists, it is the House of Eternal Return itself that will spark entirely new feelings about art and exploration in those that witness its catacombs. Since breaking ground in July 2015, Meow Wolf and its creative crew have constructed a multi-dimensional experience that mimics life. From the small group of designers who pitched the broad strokes of the exhibit to the 100 or so who constructed precise and narrow details, the House of Eternal Return emulates a colonization of artistry right in the center of Santa Fe.

A Meow Wolf crafted guardrail imitates the branches of a tree. Photo by Richard Sweeting

With opening night fast approaching on March 17, the team chisels away at the edifice, working around the clock to prepare for their debut. “It’s gonna be a hustle,” Kadlubek says. “It always is when you do art projects.” From the gift shop to the last mural on the wall, the building begins to reach its finalization.

The House of Eternal Return itself is a conductive space for storytelling. The exhibit focuses on a family from Mendocino, California, and allows the viewer to discover and to experience the elements of their life in a distorted and beautiful way. The exhibit forces the viewer to makes speculations about time, space, reality and the physicality of storytelling elements rarely seen anywhere other than the page of an enticing book. “I want [the audience] to be overwhelmed,” Kadlubek says. “I want people to feel a sense of magic and wonder. I want them to think, [as artists], ‘if I envision something, I can make it happen. I just have to take the steps.’ Envision it. Commit to it. Figure out how to do it. Do it.”

This Science Fiction reminescent ficture creates an surreal atmosphere. Photo by Richard Sweeing

While the exhibit is expected to stay up for the next 10 years, it may overtime change as the artistic vision of those at Meow Wolf changes. With everything from a music venue that features a multitude of artists to the exhibit itself demanding critical exploration, visitors of all interests will no doubt find something within the experience that alters their perception of creating art. Kadlubek explains, “The consumerist experience is [them being] forced into a path dictated by time, by spending, by audiences and public space. [Most companies] want to force people in a certain direction. We want to avoid that. [Individual] exploration and discovery are critical to us.”

The House of Eternal Return will open to the public on the weekend of March 17, beginning with the grand opening V.I.P Gala, followed by performances by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley on March 18. On March 19 there will be a lineup of music featuring The Handsome Family!, Boris & the Salt licks and Cloacas. Finally, on Sunday, March 20 DJ Sassmouth will be performing with special guests David Last and Numbtron.