empathy mapping loop

Meow Wolf is a multi-sensory, non-linear experiential exhibit space with locations around the country. You are greeted by a giant robot, wolf, and spider in the parking lot. Entering the front doors is like stepping into a fever dream of Neil Gaiman and Takashi Murakami. There is a trippy lounge with projected wall art and an intergalactic gift shop where you can bring a bit of psychedelia home for time-dilated remembrance.

I was going to see The House of Eternal Return. It was reminded me of favorite paranormal suspense stories like Twilight Zone, Twin Peaks, and Oxen Free.

It starts with a relatively grounded premise and location before launching into the otherworldly. A fundamental to reality architecture is giving the audience a space of familiarity, or “house”, to echo back to. In repetition one begins to map themselves subconsciously to the characters, progressively empathizing to the narrative’s conclusion. Whatever storytelling genre you choose is the tonal preference of the mapped experience once the “house” is established.