MILWAUKEE — Fantastical, whimsical, and kind of trippy. Those are the words you could use to describe one of the newest interactive art exhibits in Milwaukee. It's called Deep Lake Future.
“Sometime in the not too distant future the Great Lakes have flooded and the invasive species that live in the Great Lakes have taken over the ecosystems. So scientists are trying to find ways to survive, merging AI and technology with these invasive species in hopes that we can find some answers," Daniel Murray, the creator of this exhibit,
said.
Murray is the founder of Fuzzpop Workshop which created Deep Lake Future. It's located in the Walker's Point neighborhood at 700 S. 5th St. inside the VAR Gallery and Studio.
“My hope is that people experience something like they’ve never seen before, experience something like they’ve never experienced before," he said.
There are hidden hideaways that you have to crawl through. Plus, a room where your shadow makes a rainbow. It's similar to the popular exhibit Meow Wolf in Denver, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, and Grapevine, Texas.
He built this space with 25 local artists ranging from painters, muralists, sculptors, engineers, lighting designers, electrical engineers, and composers. He had a custom score orchestrated to provide an ethereal vibe. There is even a modified sturgeon you can use to make ambient-type music.
The design process began in October 2022, construction started in February 2023, and it finally opened July 21. Murray said the reception has been great.
"We’ve been overwhelmed. People who come through usually have no idea what they’re getting into and say it was incredible, more than they expected, and they can't wait to tell their friends. Many of them have come back again," he said.
This is a family-friendly environment. The bright colors and cartoon-like features make it appropriate for all ages.
Murray knew it was important to incorporate the Great Lakes ecosystem into his dystopian-esque exhibit.
"Wanted to create something that was about the Milwaukee experience, about the regional ecology, people, and so we started exploring ideas around the Great Lakes. As we dug in (and) started doing our research, invasive species really rose as an idea that’s not only important in the region but also opened up a lot of creative possibilities for us."
The exhibit is a slight nod to what can happen if we don’t preserve our lakes too. Other artists in Milwaukee like Mermaid Echo are trying to raise awareness about Great Lakes conservation too.
Deep Lake Future is just the beginning of exhibits for Murray. He views the exhibit as a prototype.
“So our hope is to do this at the warehouse scale, multiple spaces and levels, performances, have a much larger deep lake feature, but also a north woods or some sort of strange farm experience," Murry said.
Deep Lake Future is open through December. Admission is $15 for adults and $12 for children, students, and seniors.
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