TRANSFIX

Submitted by guest writer, Katharine LaRonde

The Las Vegas Strip is a bacchanal of sights and sounds, a continuous assault on one’s senses in which everything Bigger, Newer, Louder, and More Brightly Colored competes to capture your attention.  So it’s not intuitive that the antidote would be even more colored lights and sounds, but that’s exactly what TRANSFIX is; an oasis within the oasis in the desert.

Located outdoors at Resorts World, TRANSFIX bills itself as “The world’s largest touring immersive art experience.” It is, in fact, large (over 2 acres) and it is immersive: for the hour or two they wander, visitors are ensconced in a cocoon of industrial-looking fences that keep the rest of the city out, allowing them to really focus on and interact with the art.

“Our aim is to elevate and redefine ‘immersive.’ We believe that interacting with art at this large of a scale can change the world by illuminating one mind at a time. If we can inspire even a fraction of our guests to restore their childlike wonder and curiosity…we’ve done our jobs well.” – Tom Stinchfield, TRANSFIX cofounder and CEO.

Guests are greeted with two of the most affecting pieces right up front. One of the most memorable, Onion Skin by Olivier Ratsi, consists of two video screens meeting at an angle, allowing the viewer to be surrounded as a rectangle of light appears at the junction point and grows ever larger. The effect is a feeling of movement, as though you are being sucked into the screen. [At this point I’d like to mention, for no particular reason at all, that cannabis is legal for adult use in Nevada.] Next is a tunnel, named Stellar, in which the only sources of light are the lasers racing and pulsating overhead.

Most of the art is interactive, with placards posted to let you know how best to experience each piece. Unfortunately, several pieces were not working as intended, so it became difficult to know if the buttons you’re pushing are actually having the effect the artist intended. It was frustrating trying to guess, and this was only the third day TRANSFIX was open! In fairness, several of the more responsive pieces were stunning. Control No Control, by Studio Iregular, allows viewers to move strands of light along a giant video screen by running their fingers over the surface, in order to demonstrate the ways in which interacting with art changes the art itself.  Entwined, a tree-like sculpture topped with “leaves” of colored cubes, rewards those attentive enough to notice a hidden QR code with a controller that pops up on your phone, allowing you to control the colors and sounds emanating from the cubes.

Sometimes the only “interaction” required is to lay back and ponder. Paraluna, a parasol-shaped large-scale structure by Christopher Schardt designed to “create sights and sounds that delight and surprise,” is mounted over a group of beanbags, inviting you to gaze up as it whirls overhead. R-Evolution, a giant woman-shaped sculpture by Marco Cochrane intended to be a contemplation on violence against women, simply towers above you.

The experience overall is reflective and playful, a refreshing change of pace amidst a frenetic environment. It’s a respite to be asked to open your mind instead of your wallet, but of course there are refreshments for purchase: a couple food trucks and bars were peppered throughout the property, and there is a gift shop at the exit. The sheer size of the installation is astounding, but it might be a little too big and unfocused. After a while some of the pieces start to blend together. There are only so many things you can do with sculptures and LED screens and consequently, you start to experience diminishing returns. This is a shame, and makes me wish that the exhibit were more lovingly curated, because some of the pieces are truly magical and legitimately transportive.

It would be nice if the information about each piece was more accessible. Often the signs/descriptions are a little hard to find. Reading them before interacting with the art would have added helpful context for the experience, but they are often out of the way and/or hard to read. This lack of information was especially noticeable at the only installation that had a line. Guests waited for 20+ minutes without knowing what they were in line for. This delay would have been a perfect time to read about the art, but the sign was nowhere in sight.

Wear comfortable shoes too. It’s a good amount of walking/standing, and the “landscaping” consists of dirt/gravel paths. Along with the chain link fences and shipping containers, it looks like TRANSFIX is going for desert/industrial chic, probably to evoke Burning Man. Supposedly, many of the art pieces debuted at Burning Man and have found a second home here, which is a great way to repurpose these giant displays.

A final note about variety: Much of the art here changes constantly. Many have video screens with long “loops,” or are dependent on how the audience interacts with them. This means that a person could return to TRANSFIX and have mostly-new experiences. Very few of the pieces are static, and some of the pictures online show the artwork in an entirely different configuration. Even wandering back to a previous piece may result in different visuals. There is a lot of repeat possibility here.

TRANSFIX runs through September of 2023 at Resorts World Las Vegas. It opens at 7:00 but is almost certainly best when it’s dark (and after a drink or 2), so it stays open late (12:00 on weeknights, 1:00 am on weekends). Tickets range from $25 for kids 15 and under to $59 for weekday adults and $69 for weekends, with group packages available. There is plenty of parking at Resorts World. Their self-park is $10 unless you are a member of their rewards program. More information and tickets are available here: https://www.transfixart.com/