A new immersive art experience on International Drive hopes to fill visitors with wonder and awe about our home planet, perhaps inspiring creativity or selfies among visitors.
Earth Illuminated, which has been open since August at Pointe Orlando adjacent to Orlando Improv, presents dozens of art installations ripe for an Instagram post or a fun outing with friends.
“We want people to be awakened to their creativity,” said Heidi Webb, the attraction’s co-founder. “The art pieces in here tell a story of getting to see the Earth from a new perspective, almost as if for the first time again.”
While the experience is open and suitable for all ages, Webb said the main demographic of visitors will likely be around 18-40 years old. It might be easy to think of it as just a selfie museum, but the photogenic nature of the art doesn’t have to be captured on a camera to be enjoyed.
“Our purpose and intention is to meet the needs of the guest who comes, whether it’s a social media post or just to see the artwork and be in the atmosphere,” Webb said.
Visitors start by entering a pre-show area dubbed “Starship Regenesis” — think Spaceship Earth or Soarin’ except without a moving ride vehicle. Guests are put into the story in which they blast off to outer space and then step out to see a round blue Earth from the outside.
As people walk through the art exhibitions, they see a lawn party with a starry night sky above the mountains of Colorado, then an Alice in Wonderland-esque garden before transitioning into a room full of large fireflies.
At a certain point, visitors descend to a swampy lost cabin before heading under the sea with jellyfish and ultimately emerging into a human-centric cozy space with a large pouf chair.
Unlike a traditional art museum, everything can be interacted with and touched.
“One of the things that’s really special about the space is we’re not telling you you can’t touch it or how to do it,” Webb said. “We get to see different perspectives through the lens of other people.”
The final installation is a message wall, a “living piece of art” where people can write positive, encouraging and family-friendly messages to leave behind.
Because Earth is in the name of the attraction, Webb and her family of artists and co-creators used eco-friendly materials, including leftover paint from Habitat for Humanity, scrap metal, thrifted furniture and recycled materials.
“When you have Earth involved in your name, you need to be conscious of everything you’re doing,” she said.
The art pieces were designed and built by Heidi, her husband Nate Webb and their daughters Madeline and Mercedes, as well as other working artists. Throughout the walkthrough, installations include Easter eggs like a quote from the girls’ great-grandfather or special displays meant to show familial love.
“We had about 15 years of art that fell back into our storage unit, so we combined all the stories we were telling into one cool story,” Nate Webb said. “Hopefully, this comes out a little more hopeful than the rest of pop culture, which tends to be down and nihilistic. There’s actually hope.”
If you go: Earth Illuminated is open 3-10 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday at 9101 International Drive Suite 2300 in Orlando. Timed-entry tickets, which cost $35 per adult and $25 per child ages 6-11 (before fees), should be purchased online in advance. Discounts are available for groups, families and friends, with a special date night package also available. The experience takes around an hour to explore. For more information, visit earthilluminated.com.
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