„Stone Age,” an immersive sound and light exhibit that mirrors the experience of cannabis … [+]
New York City has long offered walk-in, interactive exhibits to lure tourist dollars away from such staples as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. Exhibits have focused on everything from artifacts from the Titanic and Pompeii disasters to the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Vikings and Harry Potter.
Now, add something new and kind of cool-sounding, scheduled to open October 1: an interactive exhibit inspired by … cannabis.
Located at 607 Avenue of the Americas, the exhibit, “The Stone Age,” is described in press materials as an “immersive, multi-sensory cannabis experience.” Featured will be eight “thought-provoking” installations across 9,000 square feet of exhibition space. One of the installations, in partnership with the Last Prisoner Project , will be creative works by individuals formerly and currently incarcerated for nonviolent marijuana offenses.
“Visitors will explore cannabis through different states of being: enlightenment, pain, awareness, euphoria, arousal, hunger and creativity,” the event’s website says. Social justice reform and community engagement will be referenced.
The creator/producers are Sasha Perelman and Elizabeth Santana. In an email, Perelman explained of the exhibit, “Upon entering, guests will be transported from the bustling NYC streets through an ethereal light portal into The Stone Age — an immersive journey designed to visually and emotionally spark the senses. Visitors [will] learn about the effects of cannabis on the body, the mind and soul, through interactive attractions consisting of: a motion-activated painting screen, make-your-own beats DJ booth, an orgasmic light sculpture, black-light murals and more.”
Santana, meanwhile, was involved in the conceptualization of “Rosé Mansion,” an interactive wine-tasting pop-up in New York City. Her take on the Stone Age exhibit: “The thought-provoking experiences are centered around six states of being that are intended to ensure guests, cannabis consumers or not, to walk away feeling inspired, empowered and curious about the plant in unimaginable ways.”
MORE FOR YOU
Perelman rolled out an earlier (pre-pandemic) experiential cannabis event, “Immersion,” in 2017 in – where else — California. The event received, um, high marks from Rolling Stone. “Now that the widespread legalization of marijuana is bringing the feeling of being stoned into the mainstream, a new world of possibilities is opening up for weed-enabled leisure,” the rock and roll publication declared at the time.
Indeed, with legalization of recreational cannabis spreading rapidly, entrepreneurs in those states have introduced all manner of leisure activities centered on cannabis consumption involving psychoactive THC. Businesses have recently introduced experiences ranging from cannabis tours and fancy “consumption lounges” to elegant dinner party events.
Of course none of this is free: Tickets for “The Stone Age” are being sold to buyers 18 and up on a reserved, timed basis, at prices from $53.75 (one hour at the exhibit) to $84.80 (two hours). Tickets will cost less for military personnel, students and First Responders. All visitors will be able to visit a retail shop and take home a swag bag of products.
As for consumption, despite the exhibit’s theme and New York State’s legalization of adult use cannabis, the exhibit rules are clear that no smoking, vaping or outside food items (gummies?) will be allowed on site.
No word, though, on what can be consumed before one enters the exhibit.