San Diego

‘Wonderspaces' Latest Pop-Up Show Explores What We Have ‘In Common'

This is the third time Wonderspaces has brought interactive art to San Diego. Last year's pop-up "Wonderspaces: With Creative License" drew more than 178,000 visitors

Connection -- that is the goal behind the latest traveling exhibit from Wonderspaces, a traveling art show that returned to San Diego this month following a successful run last year. 

Wonderspaces: In Common features more than a dozen interactive pieces from artists around the world, each that explores how people are shaped by their experiences, environments and relationships.

The curators of the all-ages exhibit say the "artwork was created keeping other people in mind. 'In Common' encourages us to do the same." 

The artists, who work in the creative world of art and the experimental world of technology, combine the two to create the pieces featured in Wonderspaces. For example, artist Dan Goods, who collaborated with David Delgado to create the piece "Experiment 2.C," also leads a team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 

At the pop-up exhibit, visitors will be inundated with visual stimulation. One piece called "Anima" and created by artists Nick Verstand, Geert Schaap and Pufferfish, is a 360-degree six-foot wide sphere covered with projections that interact with viewers.

Another piece is set in entire darkness. "Intersection," by Don Ritter, will allow guests to "interact" with sounds in a way that is cathartic. Ritter says the experience is a metaphor for the overwhelming feeling of fear.

There will also be a "Rainbow Room," a chance for "Confessions," and the ability to listen to the thoughts of sleeping creatures. One installation requires the participation of eight people to experience the art. 

The art show debuted on June 7 and runs until Sept. 1 at the B Street Pier, at 1140 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego. The exhibit is open Mondays to Wednesdays from 3:30 to 11 p.m. and is open for an extra hour on Thursdays and Fridays. On the weekends, the exhibit opens at 10 a.m.

Reservations are required for a specific date and time and must be made in advance. Tickets cost $24 during the week and $27 during the more in-demand weekend. A discount is available for seniors, students, military and children. Get tickets here

This is the third time Wonderspaces has brought interactive art to San Diego. Last year's pop-up "Wonderspaces: With Creative License" drew more than 178,000 visitors during its stint in San Diego, according to the forces behind the project. 

Wonderspaces has a permanent location in Arizona and has plans to expand its traveling show across the country. Austin, Texas and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are up next.

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