{"id":3457,"date":"2022-05-02T08:35:38","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T15:35:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/?p=3457"},"modified":"2026-08-30T21:58:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T04:58:59","slug":"illuminarium-bringing-dreams-to-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/illuminarium-bringing-dreams-to-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Illuminarium - Bringing Dreams to Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Illuminarium at AREA15 exterior courtesy of Illuminarium Experiences<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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ILLUMINARIUM: BRINGING DREAMS TO LIFE<\/h1>\n

BY STACEY GUALANDI<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Illuminarium Las Vegas just made a spectacle of itself. Spectacle, as in, an endless array of unique and stunning visual experiences.<\/p>\n

The grand opening of Illuminarium at AREA15 was lit. Everything from astronauts balancing on moon globes to giraffe contortionists to outer space-themed cocktails helped put the spotlight on this new state-of-the-art immersive attraction.<\/p>\n

The hot-ticket party also filled the night sky with an illuminating light show and the 36,000 square-foot entertainment complex to capacity.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Photography courtesy of Illuminarium Experiences<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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It was an exclusive showcase for the latest surround sight-and-sound sensory experience to emerge in the entertainment capital of the world. But CEO & Illuminarium Experiences Founder Alan Greenberg says this is a permanent cinematic immersion like no other.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought there was something bigger out there, which was really to explore worlds; to try to recreate places that people dream about,\u201d says Greenberg. \u201cWe try to transport you through the combination of content, scale, and technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

I consider myself thoroughly transported!<\/p>\n<\/div>

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One minute, you\u2019re traveling through Africa on a wild safari, surrounded by fantastic beasts (including nearly extinct Rwandan gorillas); the next, you\u2019re floating through space on a NASA-supported journey to the moon, encircled by nebula and asteroids; and finally, you\u2019re walking through Georgia O\u2019Keeffe\u2019s virtual garden, enveloped by the artist\u2019s most famous flowers.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Photography courtesy of Illuminarium Experiences<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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\u201cO\u2019Keeffe took these little flowers, and she blew them up to seven feet high. We\u2019re taking them to 22-feet high,\u201d says Greenberg. \u201cShe would\u2019ve loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greenberg says he wanted to showcase someone iconic like O\u2019Keeffe, recognized as the Mother of Modern Americanism. Now, for the first time, the \u201cO\u2019KEEFFE: One Hundred Flowers\u201d art and music experience \u201ccelebrates and reimagines the floral stills\u201d featured in Nicholas Callaway\u2019s book of the same name\u2014one of the best-selling art books of all time. (Full disclosure: If you listen closely, you can hear yours truly as the introductory voiceover for the exhibit!)<\/p>\n

Illuminarium also boasts a 3D tracking system in the ceiling that creates interactivity, so, as you walk through O\u2019KEEFFE, you can part the floral sea with your feet and leave footprints on the surface of the moon in \u201cSPACE: A Journey to the Moon & Beyond,\u201d coming Memorial Day weekend.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Photography courtesy of Illuminarium Experiences<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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There is also a \u201cscent\u201d system that changes with each show and a sense that elephants are following you in the $13 million \u201cWILD: A Safari Experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have in-floor haptics that create a rumble effect in your body, so if an elephant stomps, you feel it,\u201d says Greenberg.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Photography courtesy of Illuminarium Experiences<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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\u201c[Illuminarium] brings you into environments that you would never otherwise get to travel to, like the surface of the moon!\u201d says Executive VP and General Manager Calum Pearson.<\/p>\n

Pearson knows a thing or two about live multi-media experiences, having worked with Cirque du Soleil for nearly two decades, but he says this venue\u2019s versatility sets it apart.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in Vegas since 2004, and I\u2019ve opened many shows that were all exciting, but there is something very special happening here with immersive entertainment,\u201d says Pearson.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all possible thanks to a talented team of techies assembled by Greenberg, including Oscar-winning content producers Radical Media and design impresario (David) Rockwell Group.<\/p>\n

But if you think all of these experiences are CGI, think again. \u201cWILD was filmed with real cameras, all on location,\u201d says Brian Allen, the executive in charge of technology and content.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe use 42 projectors that make up resolutions 16 times the size of 4K,\u201d says Allen of the cutting-edge technology. \u201cAt any given moment, we are projecting around 174 million active pixels. We\u2019re just scratching the surface of what we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Illuminarium also offers a palatial patio and an indoor dining option for those who want a side of food with their safari.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Renowned James Beard Award-nominated and husband-wife business partners Elizabeth Blau and Chef Kim Canteenwalla are the consultants for Lumin Cafe + Kitchen, their latest culinary coup.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to make this menu approachable on all levels, but you\u2019re going to get that quality that you expect from my husband,\u201d insists Blau.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, there is a revolution of experiential attractions becoming even more food-focused,\u201d says the famous foodie, so she couldn\u2019t pass up the chance to work with David Rockwell on Lumin.\u00a0 While AREA 15 is really the attraction, Blau says, \u201cIlluminarium is the best-supporting actress.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you think about AREA15, you think of dark and edgy, Burning Man-meets-Life is Beautiful, so, when I spoke to David and his team, we wanted to put in these big windows, so it has much more of a light and airy, warmer, comfortable feeling,\u201d says Blau.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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There\u2019s a little bit of everything on Executive Chef Billy Reid\u2019s American menu: look out for fried chicken sliders with a kimchi slaw; Impossible burgers; buffalo cauliflower with blue cheese, and indulgent options like S\u2019mores nachos and a cookie bar. Blau already has a favorite.<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely would\u2019ve answered pretzel bites because there\u2019s nothing like a cheese fondue and a great craft beer to make me happy,\u201d admits Blau. \u201cBut <\/b>I tasted the Korean fried chicken and, my gosh! It\u2019s got a perfect blend of spice and sweetness and was so good!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Photography courtesy of Illuminarium Experiences<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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But folks, we\u2019re not done yet. To wash everything down, there is \u201cIlluminarium After Dark,\u201d a 21-and-over, DJ-oriented ultra-lounge with multiple, evolving environments. (My favorite is the Shibuya Night Market in Tokyo!)<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Photography courtesy of Illuminarium Experiences<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Says Pearson, \u201cThe idea is to step out of a fully immersive environment and into a more relaxed one.\u201d<\/p>\n

There you can imbibe on specialty cocktails, like the out-of-this-world \u201cKuyper Belt\u201d and the \u201cSavannah Sunset,\u201d complete with edible flowers. (So, you can see O\u2019Keeffe\u2019s flowers and eat them too!)<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Now that Illuminarium has successfully premiered\u2014first in Atlanta and now in Las Vegas\u2014Greenberg says he\u2019s already planning numerous sequels. Illuminarium will be coming soon to Chicago, and Miami. Spectacular.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are building a global experiential entertainment business,\u201d says Greenberg. \u201cAnd we\u2019ll keep bringing dreams to life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

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<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Illuminarium Las Vegas just made a spectacle of itself. Spectacle, as in, an endless array of unique and stunning visual experiences. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2360,4520],"tags":[3721,3719,3718,3720,3128],"class_list":["post-3457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-entertainment","tag-alan-greenberg","tag-area-15","tag-illuminarium","tag-okeefe","tag-stacey-gualandi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3457"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11358,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3457\/revisions\/11358"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}