Meow Wolf, the Santa Fe art collective and creators of the award-winning House of Eternal Return exhibition, will premiere its first feature documentary and VR story installation at SXSW 2018.
Meow Wolf: Origin Story Feature Documentary – World Premiere
Meow Wolf: Origin Story follows a disenfranchised group of artists, punks, and weirdos who create a subversive DIY collective to disrupt the art establishment in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which in the face of internal turmoil evolves into a cultural phenomenon on the path to becoming a global creative empire. Directed by Morgan Capps and Jilann Spitzmiller, this fascinating and heartfelt feature-length documentary will have its world premiere at SXSW 2018.
“Meow Wolf: Origin Story is a unique, against-all-odds story with universal and timely threads. We’re so honored to premiere the documentary at SXSW and can’t wait to introduce audiences to the Meow Wolf collective,” said co-director Morgan Capps.
Meow Wolf: Origin Story chronicles the artists whose identities have been shaped within an unconventional group dynamic, blowing the lid off stewing conflict between diverse egos, artistic freedom vs organization, individual passion, and the good of the collective. They walk the fine line between chaos and order, inspiration and mental illness, and finally success and destruction, as they navigate their future together. Breaking from conventional documentary storytelling, the film’s psychedelic diversions and maximal aesthetic echo the story of Meow Wolf itself, where weird is good, and the unlikely, possible.
The Atrium VR Story Installation – SXSW Official Selection and World Premiere
Meow Wolf channels the creativity behind its acclaimed, large-scale exhibitions into a new form of shared interactive digital storytelling with THE ATRIUM. SXSW attendees willunravel the mystery of the portal-hopping Selig family from a new perspective, as a surveillance agent downloaded into the body of a cybernetic host. Adrift in the multiverse, they are tasked with investigating the abnormalities surrounding Morgan Selig.
Meow Wolf injects the virtual into physical reality through its custom haptic multi-player installation. The location-based platform is the first part of a cross-modal system aimed at providing a new set of tools to virtual creators.
“We’re moving away from thoughts and patterns that reinforce passive media trends. The tools are finally here to create worlds that know you’re there, and stories that can stare right back at us.” said director Brian Solomon.
Meow Wolf’s immersive digital team explores the edge where technology meets artistic storytelling. They use a combination of narrative techniques developed around real-time engines, mixed reality, interactive scenography, installation art, music, and performance. The Atrium is written and directed by Brian Solomon, and executive produced by Meow Wolf CEO, Vince Kadlubek and Nicolas Gonda, producer of The Tree of Life and Voyage of Time.
Meow Wolf: Origin Story Synopsis
A group of disenfranchised artists in Santa Fe, New Mexico become a DIY collective calling themselves Meow Wolf. Their immersive, large-scale exhibitions happen to crack open a profitable niche in the arts and entertainment industry, as their social mission becomes challenged by the demands of their rapid success. Sacrificing individualism for collectivism, the group’s members navigate fracture and loss for years in pursuit of their idealistic vision. When they spark the interest of George R. R. Martin and receive his support to take over an old bowling alley, Meow Wolf builds a massive exhibition with the help of more than 140 artists working at a breakneck pace. With the wild success of the House of Eternal Return, the collective is now facing its own internal turmoil as it begins to change the lives of creatives everywhere.
About Meow Wolf
Meow Wolf is a Santa Fe-based arts and entertainment group that creates immersive, interactive experiences to transport audiences of all ages into fantastic realms of story and exploration. In 2018, Meow Wolf expanded into developing content across all formats and mediums. The company’s first permanent exhibition showcases the THEA Award-winning House of Eternal Return, where guests discover a multidimensional mystery house with secret passages, portals to magical worlds, climbing apparatus, and surreal, maximalist & mesmerizing art exhibits along with a children’s learning center and cafe area. The location is also home to a music venue, bar, and outdoor dining scene featuring top food trucks. In January 2018, Meow Wolf announced they will expand to new major market locations in Denver and Vegas. https://meowwolf.com
