By Rachel M.
Starting today, 29 Rooms, an immersive exhibit sponsored by Refinery29, the women’s lifestyle brand (www.refinery29.com) opens in NYC. Refinery29 is the leading digital-media and entertainment company focused on women with a global audience footprint of 425 million across all platforms. The multi-sensory experience is centered around the theme, “Expand Your Reality,” which aims to unlock imagination, provoke thought, and dare people to dream bigger. Guests can explore each of the 29 individually curated rooms that are packed with magic and brimming with inspiration. The exhibit consists of 29 rooms with extremely creative and visually attractive displays that promote artists, ideas and brands (like their site). If the last three years are any indication get ready for your Instagram account to be flooded with pics! Beginning in 2015, during New York Fashion Week, on Refinery29’s 10th anniversary, they decided to open a free public “museum.” Since then, each year, they have been flooded with attendees.
Guests will discover spaces developed by a diverse group of collaborators that span the spectrum of art, style, entertainment, technology, social good, and more. This year’s event will include more interactivity and theatrics than ever before including traveling blindfolded through a multi-sensory ASMR tunnel, dancing it out with outrageous performers at a reimagined nightclub, and competing in a classic ‘70s-inspired game show recreated as an educational tool for civic rights.
Incorporating audience feedback, 29Rooms NYC includes more hands-on activities, several phone-free experiences, and opportunities for people to interact with artists and each other. For the first time, 29Rooms will feature Artists in Residence, a living, breathing art space where guests become the artists and artists become performers. The drop-in classes will allow attendees to connect with a range of contemporary creators, awakening their creativity. The event’s nighttime Starlight Sessions will feature hosts, DJs, and theatrical performers creating an energetic, inclusive atmosphere for guests to let loose. Additionally, 29Rooms New York will offer a Snack Yard for guests to fuel up and a gift shop featuring psychedelic airbrushing to personalize purchases.
TV and City got a sneak peek at the exhibit and is pleased to share a descriptive tour with you:
29 QUESTIONS: In this room, guests are invited to step outside of their comfort zone, pull up a chair, and connect with a stranger.
ACE THE MIDTERMS In Collaboration with Yara Shahidi and eighteenx18: The midterms in November are a chance to test ourselves. In this space created in collaboration with actress and activist Yara Shahidi, guests can show a little spirit, ace those midterms, and see the impact their voice can have as they go out to vote.
ALDO ARTCADE in Partnership with Aldo: In the Aldo Artcade where guests are invited to take a chance, shoot for their dreams, dance their heart out, and walk away a winner.
ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE In Collaboration with multiple TBA artists:. Enter this studio bravely, ready to express yourself and connect as guests are the resident artist and our artists are their guide.
BETWEEN THE SHEETS in Collaboration with Rupi Kaur: Guided by Rupi Kaur’s powerful poetry, guests will be led through an ethereal landscape that embarks on an intimate journey of healing and self-love. With every step, “Between the Sheets” invites guests to leave what weighs them down and make space for love and lightness.
A CONVERSATION WITH YOUR INNER CHILD In Collaboration with Carlota Guerrero: In this interactive installation, Carlota Guerrero invites guests to write a message to their inner child and reconnect again.
DREAM DOORWAYS in collaboration with Kali Uchis: In this surreal installation, guests are invited to fall down the rabbit hole to an alternate universe where nothing is what it seems.
A FEELING YOU WEAR in partnership with Pantene: Pantene invites guests on a sensorial journey to experience the exhilarating and joyful transformation of turning an ordinary day into a Great Hair Day!
THE FLAVOR OASIS in partnership with Bai: Buckle up your taste buds, and let Bai guide you across this vast desert of flavorlessness. Who knows what you’ll find.
THE FULL PICTURE in collaboration with Shatterbox and TNT: Women make up half the population but in 2017 made up only 8% of top directors. Shatterbox is a groundbreaking new series by Refinery29 with TNT that empowers female storytellers both in front and behind the camera to show us how they see the world.
THE IDEA INCUBATOR in partnership with Dr.Jart+: Explore the lab and grab a sample of the Dr.Jart+ Ceramidin moisturizing cream as you experience the Dr.Jart+ brand DNA like never before.
IN LIGHT OF YOU in collaboration with José A. Roda: Today, identity is more fluid than ever, and the lines between sex and gender have blurred to unveil a path to radical, authentic individuality. Tossing out any and all preconceived labels, “In Light of You” celebrates the light that lives inside every one of us and the power this has to illuminate our world as a brighter, more colorful place.
IN TOUCH in collaboration with Whisperlodge: Headphones with a custom recording will guide blindfolded guests throughout the space, letting them truly experience the beauty of touch.
INNER BEAUTY BALL in collaboration with House of YES: 29Rooms is throwing a dance party, and everyone’s invited. Behind these doors, guests will encounter a cast of characters from House of Yes, including The Get Down and Princess Lockeroo that will inspire you to embrace life and say yes to infectious joy and self-expression.
KNOW! YOUR! RIGHTS! in collaboration with the ACLU: Guests will spin the wheel to learn something new, or test their strength with the power of action and discover that they already have what it takes to be a guardian of liberty.
LIVE BOLDLY THROUGH BEAUTY in partnership with Revlon: Welcome to Revlon’s world of color, where every lipstick inspires us all to Live Boldly, courageous, and a little outrageous.
A LONG LINE OF QUEENDOM in collaboration with Unbothered: Brought to life by Refinery29’s dedicated platform for Black millennial women, Unbothered, we invite you to “say her name” or take your place within a long legacy of Black excellence, beauty and achievement.
LOVE LETTER TO THE WORLD in collaboration with Cocovan: In this collaborative and ongoing experience, performance artist Cocovan invites guests to do just that.
MONEY MANTRAS in collaboration with R29 Money Diaries: Get a glimpse into the pages of the new Money Diaries book and gain some money mantra inspiration that channels your most powerful self.
THE MOXY PLAY HOUSE in partnership with Moxy Hotels: Checking into Marriott’s misfit hotel brand Moxy Hotels is an invitation to play while you stay.
REALITY RENDERED in collaboration with Magenta Field: A shifting archetypal landscape designed to incite questions about how we define ourselves and our surroundings. Through the lens of early computer graphics, this experience is an interpretation of virtual space made real.
SHAKE IT OUT in collaboration with Egle Zvirblyte: Step inside a liberating and surreal place where creativity and self-expression prevails, where guests can flaunt their soul with wacky and wonderful creatures.
SONIC SANCTUARY in collaboration with Aaron Taylor Kuffner: Guests are invited to take respite from the outside world as they step into this sanctuary of peace and tranquility and are immersed in resonance and light from the Gamelatron – a mix of traditional Indonesian instruments and modern day robotics.
STAR MATTER in collaboration with Nicole Richie: In this space created in collaboration with Nicole Richie, guests can step inside and commune in orbit with one another to the voices of iconic visionaries and anthemic music, all while celebrating our shared star matter.
THE SUPPORT SYSTEM in partnership with Reebok: Introducing the PureMove Bra with Motion Sense Technology, a revolutionary product that reacts to your movement to provide appropriate support without compromises. Take a step inside The Support System – an immersive experience that simulates that beautiful feeling of unprecedented support and empowered motion.
TEENAGE BEDROOM in collaboration with Uzumaki Cepeda: Artist Uzumaki Cepeda invites guests to enter a time warp and revisit their teenage years. From looking through the closet, to playing Nintendo, this is a safe space for everyone.
THE VALUES STAND in collaboration with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment: Together we can shift the story and make a difference, one issue at a time. Remember, no news may be good news, but the best news is that which supports and informs our citizens.
YOU ARE MAGIC in collaboration with The Hoodwitch: Explore this enchanted crystal cave where The Hoodwitch will guide guests to awaken the deepest part of themselves and tap into their own inner magic.
The experience is open to the public at 588 Baltic Street, Brooklyn, NY on September 6-9 and September 13-16, from 11am-10pm. Visit www.29rooms.com for more information.
TV and City 