Niche pop-up art experiences have attracted young, social media-driven people around the world recently. Art installations dedicated to ice cream, candy, selfies and death have surfaced, giving people non-traditional backgrounds to pose with.
Salt Lake City saw one of its first interactive pop-up art museums last summer with the Hall of Breakfast. Featuring 10 breakfast-inspired rooms, guests captured their experiences and shared on Instagram.
After the Hall of Breakfast’s departure from The Gateway, Dreamscapes opened its doors in March. Dreamscapes is a 14,000 square foot space filled with immersive physical and digital art aimed to take guests on an “ethereal journey.”
The idea of Dreamscapes is to enter a “dreamy” world, according to Derek Dyer, executive director of the Utah Arts Alliance.
“Our culture has changed; there’s kind of this experience economy right now. People are kind of a little bit more interested in having experiences than accumulating material possessions,” Dyer said.
These pop-up experiences change the way people are consuming art. While installations often have consumers participate with the art, art in museums tends to, of course, stay in a frame and isolated from people. The installations’ main purpose is to look good in person but also in photo.
Dreamscapes’ installations — backdrops — include a cloud room, a word room and a ball pit. People pose by the art, created by over 50 Utah artists and builders, and upload the experience online.
Social media has been one of the biggest ways Dreamscapes has received their marketing. Dyer said they have spent under $500 to market Dreamscapes, but they have had 35,000 people show up.
“When you take a picture of yourself at something like Dreamscapes, you’re kind of saying ‘I am the kind of person that likes to have fun. Not everyone has done something like this, but I am doing this, so check it out,'” Dyer said.
Dreamscapes was intended to be temporary. However, with over 35,000 tickets sold since its arrival, Dreamscapes will be opened indefinitely, according to Dyer.
Dyer hopes to do an entire rebuild in the space or move to a new building and do a more permanent install in the future.
Recently opening within walking distance of Dreamscapes, Love Letters Museum is a tribute to typography and an opportunity for more Instagram material.
With Instagram being one of the main social media platforms and its content almost exclusively being photos, it seems pop-ups like Dreamscapes will not being going away anytime soon.
“The exhibit is open until people stop coming,” Dyer said.
