Meow Wolf
House of Eternal Return

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to slide into a dryer? How about walk through a refrigerator? Open a door with 10 door knobs to a falling illustration? Play the music of lasers and dinosaur bones? How about walk through a closet to a secret room? Or slip into a side room of all mirrors and adjustable lights?
I lost all sense of space and time. I am unsure how long I entered into the alternate reality of Meow Wolf.
Bits and Pieces
I made a conscience choice not to do any research prior to entering to Meow Wolf. This afforded me the opportunity to experience the space without any preconceived opinions and without any information about what I was seeing and experiencing. This gave me the feeling of discovering spaces on my own and watching other people find and discover spaces and following in their footsteps. I often use the method of minimize research with movies, plays, music, and books, since I can always do research and learn about what I experience post-event.
I don’t what I expected from Meow Wolf, but I know I expected something different than what I experienced. People from all over have been talking about this place. I even had several friends from Fort Worth venture to Santa Fe specifically to see this place. Let me tell you, it was worth every single penny. I was amazed at the amount of detail and intricacy that was put into the place. From the family photos to the calendars to the times on the clocks in the bedroom…I know there are so, so many things I missed in this place. Sure, you could go simply to experience the magical and childlike quality of the space, but if you pay attention, you will find extreme depth in the space, especially with the quality and complexity of the videos. There were three videos in particular that I found very moving.
The first video seemed to be of a man mediating out in nature. He had headphones on and his eyes closed with blue skies behind him. There was music playing to accompany the video. I didn’t stay too long in this space, so I don’t know if there was an “ending,” but what I saw was powerful and interesting.
The second video enjoyed was an animation. I stepped into the middle of the story but was able to decipher the storyline. There were two groups/spaces that were at odds with each other. One group, the Shadows, offered the opposing group, a cancerous mass, shape and purpose in the shared space. The mass accepted the offer and the two sides joined together for the greater good. The video was thorough, well done, and something I would watch in the “real world.”
The final video involved the family that was pictured around and throughout the house and various rooms. The viewing area was a single seat around a very hidden corner in the “junglish” room. In the video, the father and son of about 11 years were in a bedroom. The son was flipping the visor on a large, black helmet open and closed, open and closed. The father and son began a conversation about traveling into alternate realities. The father then enters into the other reality, which seems to be the same space as Meow Wolf, while the son stays and mans the controls. Together they send out frequencies into the space where the father is exploring. The father connects with “something” when he reaches 10th to the 34th power. I didn’t watch the entire video, because there was so much else to seem and experience, but the depth of the story and the surrounding space was intriguing and well throughout.
I was also able to experience a performance which I entered by way of a side door. I entered into the front of the room, while people were stacked up behind me. The general theme of the space seemed to be addressing and discussing ideas of power, oppressions, reality, space, time, and family.
I overheard several people piecing together which room belonged to which family members, which made the second floor have the feel of an escape room. There was a computer with a locked screen and message, headphones that were connected to a machine with various symbols and levers, photos albums, and details notes written to families. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to venture into the space with the intention of solving the mystery of the family, but it was fascinating to overhear the conversations occurring with all types of people while in the space.


The Moral of this Story
Go to Meow Wolf. It’s worth the money. You will feel like a little kid, regardless of your age.
I enjoyed experiencing the space by myself. I didn’t have to worry about losing the people I was with, which would have been very easy to do. I was able to discover my own path through space and time. And I enjoyed not having anyone to discuss what I was experiencing. This allowed me to completely and totally immerse myself in the space.
There is so much more to discuss about this place, but I will allow you to experience it for yourself. Just know that if you roll up to an old bowling alley, then you’re in the right place.
