By Jonel Juste for Artburst Miami
A new kind of museum opened in Miami on December 1 during Miami Art Week. It’s the Paradox Museum, located right in Wynwood.Described as a “mind-bending indoor venue”, the new attraction in town promises a “wow” experience. The new museum certainly messes – in a good way- with our minds; some could even say it is a bit… tricky.
Featuring over 70 paradox-based interactive exhibits designed to fool the eyes and challenge the senses, it’s a world of illusion. Guests have 60-90 minutes to explore the multiple paradoxes, big and small, and be amazed while taking instagramable pictures or videos.
As Marc Gregory Tipton, US Sales and Marketing Director, indicates, this is only the third museum of its kind in the world. The first two are located in Oslo (Norway) and Stockholm (Sweden). Now it’s the United States’ turn, and what better place than Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood?
“Miami is known for its art and exhibitions. We wanted to bring a permanent museum to Miami that was optical, interactive and photographic,” explains Tipton.
Regular museums and art fairs usually prohibit visitors from touching the exhibits. However, at the Paradox Museum, which is anything but regular, guests are told just the opposite because the exhibits are meant to be interactive.
“We encourage where possible for guests to interact with our paradox-based exhibits. In the museum, most of our exhibits are touchable and can be seen from different perspectives,” says Tipton.
Founded by a multinational team, Paradox Museum is a new brand with the vision to become the most innovative experience entertainment venue in the world.
A visit to the new Miami museum can feel like a magical experience, but it’s actually a very technological one. A lot of mirrors, lights, and angles are used to trick the mind and many scientific principles are involved in what constitutes an “edutainment,” a portmanteau word made up of education and entertainment.
“Our exhibits, says Tipton, are all created around STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math). That’s creating the educational aspect along with the entertainment fun for all ages.”
All the exhibits are paradoxical, presenting something and its opposite at the same time.
In the 70 exhibits feature the Tunnel Paradox, which allows participants to balance their bodies and experience perceived movement as they let go, the AMes room showing guests in giant size next to others in small size, the Paradox Challenge combining balloons, levitation and the world upside down; the Balancing Paradox in which robot hand is skillfully balancing a magic wand on its fingertip, the mathematical Hooper’s Paradox, the Paradox Ball, the Cylinder Paradox, and so forth and so on.
Since Paradox is an experiential museum, guests are invited to fully immerse themselves in the moment, to have an experience. Imagination and a natural sense of awe are all they need for this, no VR headset or the latest tech gadgets are required.
“We have select exhibits where guests will become part of the paradox illusion. Taking photos and videos will create an even more immersive experience,” informs Marc Tipton.
Miami is just the beginning, more museums of this type will open in the future. “We are planning on opening new museums throughout the US in the next 2 years. We will be in some of your favorite cities,” indicates Tipton adding that all the museums have a local culture feel to them.
“Though some exhibits will be the same, he continues, the museum will have a completely different experience in each city where we have a Paradox Museum. Our exceptionally talented architects and designers gracefully weave our interior spaces with shape, color, texture, and light, inviting each visitor into the authentic Paradox Experience.”
The Paradox Museum aims to educate and amaze at the same time. It wants to blow our mind. And as they say, the mind is a terrible thing to leave unblown.
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