Refinery29’s annual 29Rooms has opened at a time when NYC-based pop-up experiences are as abundant as they are instagram-able. Unlike other pop-ups however, whose stints are as brief as the term implies, 29Rooms has managed to reinvent itself for four years running. This year’s theme is “Expand Your Reality,” which, according to Refinery29, “aims to unlock imagination, provoke thought, and dare people to dream bigger.”
The theme is sometimes manifested in a literal sense, with rooms that intend to alter your sense of reality. There’s “In Touch,” an ASMR-esque collaboration with Whisperlodge where guests put on a blindfold and are guided by a whispery audio track through a nature-mimicking sensory tunnel; fit with flowers, moss, and a misty waterfall. “Dream Doorways,” a collaboration with singer Kali Uchis, has guests opening surreal doors that lead to different dreamscapes, like a flock of wild birds, a beach paradise, or the next exhibit.
“Dream Doorways” by Kali Uchis
“Expand Your Reality” also meant obtaining knowledge; this year’s exhibit had the most political rooms to date. Refinery29 co-founder and creative director Piera Luisa noted that the political rooms have had real impact – last year’s attendees posted pictures they had taken of the Planned Parenthood room when speaking out against the Trump administration’s proposed gag rule and Kavanagh’s nomination. This year, political rooms took the form of “Ace The Midterms,” a collaboration with actor Yara Shahidi and the organization eighteenx18, aimed to encourage new voters. A mock high school setup displayed lockers with mantras like “now’s your chance, make a change,” and whiteboards displayed the timeline of voting rights history. “Know! Your! Rights!” is the ACLU’s (to which a portion of ticket sales will be donated to) 70s-style game show where guests can spin a wheel and gain knowledge about women’s, lgbtq+ and immigrant rights to name just a few. “A Long Line Of Queendom” celebrates black women’s’ achievements and highlights the #SayHerName campaign. “The Values Stand” is a collaboration with the NYC Mayor’s Office that aims to highlight positive political action that doesn’t always make newsstand headlines. Additionally, the newstand houses a fake ATM where instead of drawing cash, guests can register to vote. The hope is that similarly to last year’s Planned Parenthood room, guests will post pictures of this year’s rooms to encourage friends and family to get out the vote.
“A Long Line Of Queendom” by Unbothered
My personal favorite rooms included “Star Matter,” a collaboration with Nicole Richie that recreated California in the 70s; equipped with a Fleetwood Mac-heavy soundtrack that sang from a record player while guests danced around in starry LED capes that could make anyone feel like Stevie Nicks herself. “Teenage Bedroom” was artist Uzumaki Cepeda’s installation that celebrated the sacred havens teens curate for themselves, complete with a stack of Harry Potter books, a Spice Girls poster, and Mario Kart that guests can actually play. “A Conversation With Your Inner Child” was a surprisingly emotional experience created by artist Carlota Guerrero, who asked guests to look into a mirror, see their young self and write a note to them.
“A Conversation With Your Inner Child” by Carlota Guerrero
29Rooms also inevitably contains the sponsored rooms, but some stand out beyond the product placement. “The Full Picture,” with TNT and Shatterbox, chose to highlight female filmmakers, and place an emphasis on Hollywood’s need for diversity both on and off-screen. The first two years of the event were free, but tickets are now $40. This is inevitable as they grow and expand, but it’s interesting to watch how they incorporate the brands into the art.
“Shatterbox” by TNT & Refinery29
More interesting, though, are individual artists’ installations. “Love Letter To The World” is artist Cocovan’s travelling and ever-expanding project-titled “The World Letter”-featuring scrolls of paper that aim to collect positive notes from people in every country across the globe. Cocovan detailed her process to Her Campus Columbia Barnard, explaining how she takes the paper from one country, scans each inch for posterity, glues the love letter to the scroll, and travels on. “You Are Magic” is a collaboration with The Hood Witch, whose astrology-themed room is soundtracked by a meditative track; she reads affirmations such as “I am wise, I am serenity, I am love,” we honestly could’ve meditated here all day. “Between The Sheets” is a very sandy, poetry-themed room by this generation’s most famous poet herself, Rupi Kaur, where you’re encouraged to find yourself within the gauze-like maze, before emerging into a white-pink-petal-paradise.
Hannah in “Love Letter To The World” by Cocovan, Founder of “The World Letter”
When asked how 29Rooms is able to balance all these facets in one experience, Piera Luisa told Her Campus Columbia Barnard that, “I think as people we want to put things in boxes… but most people have a multitude of interests. You can care about beauty but also care very much about what happens in the midterm elections… I think for us, both at [Refinery29] and 29Rooms we’re trying to acknowledge the complex interests of a whole person. But we try and find the balance, and when we do we usually do about 9 brand rooms, 20 artist or editorial rooms, and within those we try to do a third thought-provoking, a third healing and a third fun and playful. That’s how we try to take people on this emotional journey” (keep reading for the full transcript of our interview with Piera).
It’s clear that 29Rooms has found a successful balance, as tickets for this year’s run are nearly sold out. At the end of our conversation, Piera said, “I don’t know if I got too deep there,” but it seems that’s exactly what the audience wants. We want deep, thoughtful, and interactive, and that’s exactly what we received.
Hannah in “Star Matter” by Nicole Richie
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HC: “How do you begin the process of building upon what you created with 29Rooms last year and deciding what you’re going to do next?”
Piera: “We do a couple of things: one, we listen to our audience feedback and we think about how we want to incorporate that. We heard a lot from our audience that they wanted more opportunities to get hands-on, they wanted more opportunities to connect with each other. So, when we were thinking about that we decided we were gonna do the House of Yes dance club which was gonna get people to actually dance together, we decided we were gonna do a conversation starter room where we sit people down across from each other and get them talking, and we also decided that we were gonna do the artists in residence art studio where guests could get hands-on with artists and also express their own creativity. So that’s sort of how we started and then we think about a theme, and we were thinking about this theme of ‘Expand Your Reality.’ We wanted to create this space that opens people up and exposes them to new ideas, new artists and brings people out of their day to day experiences, expands their thinking, how they think about the world. So once we come up with the theme we then think about the different ways we want to express that. That’s where we start, and then we think about topics that are important to our audience, what they think is interesting. It’s this complex puzzle but it all comes together. We’re always trying to push it to new places.”
HC: Like you said, it’s a complex puzzle. There are rooms sponsored by brands, rooms with political messages, and rooms that are just fun and exciting. How do you find the right balance between all of those?
Piera: I think as people we want to put things in boxes, but the reality of our lives is that this morning I did my makeup and I cared about the lipstick color I was wearing, but I’m also thinking about [the news] and art…. We try to put things in boxes but most people have a multitude of interests. You can care about beauty but also care very much about what happens in the midterm elections. You can love art but also buy things from brands. I think for us, both at [Refinery29] and 29Rooms we’re trying to acknowledge the complex interests of a whole person. But we try and find the balance, and when we do we usually do about 9 brand rooms, 20 artist or editorial rooms, and within those we try to do a third thought-provoking, a third healing and a third fun and playful. That’s how we try to take people on this emotional journey.
HC: Since we’re from Her Campus and Barnard College, do you have any advice about how women can heal, both in the rooms and outside?
Piera: We were thinking a lot about setting intentions to take the time to take an inward journey into yourself and think about what it is that you want to put out there and what it is that you want to really care about, I think all of those questions are so important for establishing ourselves and expressing ourselves authentically to truly live our soul’s path. I think that when we’re able to understand ourselves, express ourselves, and be true to ourselves, as cliche as it might sound, I truly think that’s when we get in alignment and do the best work of our lives and live with purpose. I think often people think those things are frivolous, but in my own personal and professional experiences, the more that I am the most ‘me,’ the more that I succeed and the more that I can manifest the work of my dreams.
Head to our Instagram @hccolumbiabarnard for all the photos and content from our time at 29Rooms!