5 Ways to Fully Enjoy Wonderspaces San Diego in 2019
@polychromist interacting with Anima at Wonderspaces San Diego
Wonderspaces is in its 3rd year here in San Diego, and has expanded to Scottsdale, Arizona with a permanent location. There are two types of people that visit Wonderspaces. People there to take selfies, and people there for the art annoyed at the people taking selfies. This pop-up gallery has divided the art community because of how some of the patrons interact with the art. Interestingly enough 6 out of the 13 pieces chosen for this show are almost completely in the dark.
Regardless of the reason you are visiting Wonderspaces, here are 5 pieces of advice:
1. Read the Descriptions Online Before Visiting
It can be difficult to fully grasp what each artist is trying to present to the world without any context. The Wonderspaces website does a good job with giving a brief summary of each work, along with links to the artists' online profile. Understanding that Rainbow Room is a visualized biography or We Are Made of Light is about human connection that transcends time will give you a much deeper appreciation for your visit.
2. Utilize Gallery Attendants
Don't like reading? Then you can watch this video. Or you can simply ask the gallery attendants at Wonderspaces about each art installation. Some of the information I learned on my visit was not available on the website. Simple questions like "what does this piece mean?" or "how do you pronounced Myrkviðr?" is better answered through human contact. You can also learn little tidbits of trivia like all the faces in Les Cent Visages contains 100 faces. Each of those faces are personal friends of the artist. The attendants are there to make sure your selfies don't destroy the piece, but also are there to answer your questions about the piece.
3. Bring a Good Camera
Ultimately, you're going to want to take pictures. Wether it is photos of you or of the art works themselves. Just know that some of the works are extremely dark, and might be too dark for a phone camera. It'd be best to bring a camera with a big sensor that allows for low-light photography. If you vlog, the Sony RX100 series or Canon G7X are great prosumer options. Or you can bring your DSLR or Mirrorless camera with a large aperture lens to get the best images.
4. Come Early in the Morning
Now that school is out, Wonderspaces will likely be a hit with the millennial demographic causing larger amounts of people to navigate through. From my past experiences, coming early in the morning gives you less crowds to compete with. This allows for more (or less) selfies, and more time with each piece to truly immerse yourself in.
5. Collaborate with Strangers
Some of the interactive artworks are collaborative in nature. Like a pickup game of basketball, you can simply jump in and play. Notably with Space Here Becomes Sound, Harmony of Spheres, and Anima you will be playing with other people. Embrace the cooperative nature of these pieces and play with other people! Don't be ashamed to sing at sound-triggered pieces. Or create a symphony in the dark. Or be selective about your soundtrack when re-arranging sculptures.
From my interpretation the point of Wonderspaces's "In Common" is to understand the different perspectives of each artist, each attendee, and yourself. This allows you to identify how you are different, but what you all have in common.
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Working on New Content!
Keeping a blog is so tedious - when I’m writing for 4 different blogs outside of this. My personal blog has unfortunately suffered. Fret not my friends! New content is coming April 2019!
Late Night Octopus Rescue
While at La Jolla Shores, we found an octopus in stranded on the sand and were able to return him to a nearby tidepool.
Over the past weekend I had a photoshoot for the Cloud Project at 3am. Why 3am? Because the lowest tide of the month was at 4am. I entered the beach and perhaps 30 feet from the beach entrance I saw a little blob on the ground. After further inspection, it was a 2-ring octopus.
There are many instances of octopuses walking on land from pool to pool in order to find food. I believe this octopus may have given up, because it was on the sand and pale white. The tide was so low, there were no other nearby tidepools to walk to. So we scooped him up and placed him in a pool with a nice rock with plenty of hiding spaces.
After the photoshoot, we walked back to the rock to see if he was still there and he was! He let us handle him a little. And he latched onto my shoe to take one last look before retiring into the solace of the rock we placed him at. I am sure he will be alright. A few hours after we left, the tide would have been high enough for him to return back to the ocean.
Kelp Graveyard in La Jolla
I'll admit, my swimming isn't what it used to be. I've resorted to using fins, and next thing you know I'll be using a snorkel. I blame swimming with a camera, but that's a whole other topic.
On this adventure we navigate through the shallows of the La Jolla Sea Caves, mostly around Arch Cave. What is unique about this swim is this is the hottest (not warmest, but hottest) water I've swam in. 79 degrees is very significant for an ocean temperature. Last year's high was around 68...and I thought that was amazing at the time.
And while it is fantastic for us swimmers who don't like the constrictions of wetsuits, it is bad news for kelp, who thrive at up to 72 degrees. This means animals that feed off of kelp will run out of a food source. And those animals are the food source for other bigger fish and bigger predators such as sea lions, sharks, and dolphins...those animals that people love and identify with.
With this swim you can see the kelp has detached itself from the sea floor and is floating ominously near the entrance of the sea caves. They look recently detached because they are still maintaining their color, but if this keeps up the kelp forests will be nothing but floating island graveyards.