Factory Obscura Presses PLAY on Mix-Tape
photos by toddeclark
Factory Obscura Presses PLAY on Mix-Tape
We’re unveiling 6,000 square feet of permanent immersive art experience... and we’re just getting started.
Factory Obscura is thrilled to announce the full opening of our wildly popular Mix-Tape experience. On September 21 we’ll unveil a 6,000-square-foot, hand-crafted, immersive art experience at our first permanent location on 9th Street in Automobile Alley.
Since opening Phase 1 in March of this year, our 30+ Factory Obscura artists have been hard at work hand-crafting a full-sensory experience based on the classic American art form that is the mixtape.
“The experience unfolds through multiple spaces designed around the emotions that the songs on a mixtape would elicit,” says Kelsey Karper, Factory Obscura co-founder and director of logistical creativity. “So as you step into each environment you’ll experience one-by-one the feelings of joy, angst, love, melancholy, hope, and wonder.”
Karper explains that the emotions are derived from music that has inspired the artists themselves, and who together have built an experience that tells an authentic story about our journeys as individuals and as a collective.
“Every artist brought one song to the table that has touched us deeply somewhere along the way,” says Factory Obscura member artist Erin Latham. “Over multiple brainstorming sessions we talked about the music, what it meant to us, and how it made us feel. The Mix-Tape experience is an expression of all those feelings.”
That authenticity also extends to the physical components of the experience. From walls, stairs, and passageways to sculptures, dioramas, and embellishments, Factory Obscura artists have designed, constructed, fabricated, and installed every element with our own hands. The team includes carpenters and welders, sculptors, visual artists, textile artists, poets, filmmakers, musicians, dancers, and designers, as well as a full tech team made up of electronic, light, sound, and projection artists.
Our artists will host a special opening for Mix-Tape annual pass-holders on Saturday, September 21, 5-10 PM. Passes include a full year of unlimited admission to Mix-Tape, and can be purchased in advance at factoryobscura.fun or at the door.
Just the Beginning
Even as we roll out our most ambitious project to date, Factory Obscura is driven by a much larger vision: an additional 50,000-square-foot permanent arts destination in Oklahoma City, with space for massive immersive experiences, interactive gardens, artist workshops, an event space, education center, and other community and creative spaces that are critical to the world we envision.
“This isn’t just about art,” says Tammy Greenman, Factory Obscura co-founder and director of strategic creativity. “It’s about radical collaboration and community-building. It’s about coming together to make something bigger than ourselves. It’s about arts education and healthy kids. It’s about thriving-wage jobs for artists and artisans. It’s about creating an environment where folks can take risks and experiment and do all the things to make this awesome city more awesome.”
The Mix-Tape experience was made possible by Steve Mason and Mason Realty Investors, who saw our vision and made a strategic investment in the belief that art can be a catalyst for the types of community-building and economy-building that contribute to a better Oklahoma.