Art Collective Opens Massive Interactive Exhibit In Abandoned Bowling Alley

The House of Eternal Return in Santa Fe is an immersive, interactive art exhibit that kids and adults can explore together. Built inside a 20,000-square-foot abandoned bowling alley which was purchased by Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin, and designed by New Mexico art collective Meow Wolf, the exhibit is a bizarre and beautiful mix of art, storytelling, and free exploration.

Colossal explains that, unlike most art exhibits, visitors are allowed to explore every nook and cranny, climb on, walk through, and touch displays. The House of Eternal Return is framed as a freeform science fiction epic, telling the story—through hints hidden around the massive exhibition space—of a family whose house is inexplicably the site of a dimensional rift. As visitors explore the house, time and space begin to shift, and doors suddenly start to open, not onto kitchens and bathrooms, but onto surreal alternate dimensions.

“The group has long been inspired by monumental works of art,” Meow Wolf organizer Vince Kadlubek told Colossal. “But I think we are equally inspired by arcades, theme parks, Burning Man, grocery stores, nature—immersive spaces. At the heart of it we are probably most inspired by the forts we built growing up and certainly Nickelodeon, MTV, Jim Henson, Tumblr, and Twin Peaks.”

The House of Eternal Return is open to the public, and is Meow Wolf’s first permanent exhibit. Check out some of its breathtaking displays below.

[h/t Colossal]