Expanding the phenomenon: Inside the OUTERverse at Wake The Tiger

Following a month-long closure to complete installation of their all-new and hugely anticipated OUTERverse, Wake The Tiger will officially reopen to visitors on February 2.

Billed as “a dimension beyond imagination”, the ambitious expansion to Bristol’s “amazement park” adds 1,000 sqm and a whole new floor to the labyrinthine, immersive and multi-sensory walkthrough experience.

New installations transport visitors from the dystopian world of Meridia to Aetheria, through the “cosmic retrofuture” of the Astral Tour Lounge, and then beyond, into a complex and multi-faceted realm of personal discovery and the subconscious mind.

By way of (optional) slides, secret spaces and a myriad of creative visions laid bare in one magnificent world, the journey slowly unwinds; from a crystal chamber to a monochromatic room, and a cosmic kitchen to a nostalgia-laden tunnel of toys and VHS cassettes.

In the epicentre of the OUTERverse, a stunning giant head is suspended above a world of unique installations, played upon by interactive light projections.

The new realm is a miraculous and visually stunning achievement that completes the audience journey right through from the abandoned reception of the building once owned by ‘Meridia luxury homes’ to somewhere entirely new and different.

It’s also a true testament to the vision, craftsmanship and collective imagination of the 100+ artists and creators involved in the Wake The Tiger project, many of them based in Bristol and the south-west.

For co-founder and creative director Luke Mitchell, it’s a dream that he’s always held close. “When I was a little boy, I spent days on the beach carving sandcastles that were like portals into other worlds,” he reflects. “I built treehouses which were gateways into other dimensions, and that was me, basically. So it’s always been there.”

But as Mitchell makes clear, the mycelium networks so emblematic of Wake The Tiger are also a neat distillation of why, and how, the vision has been so magnificently realised.

“I love the power of the collective imagination,” he explains. “There’s no way you could design something like this at all; it’s a lot of brilliant people coming together and all bringing their different takes to it.”

With 300,000 visitors in 2023, sell-out quarterly live shows and rave reviews, the viral success of the project shows no signs of slowing down. “It’s blown us away, really,” smiles Mitchell, recalling the long road to securing investment when they were just beginning.

“The investors had seen what we had done with Boomtown, they liked us as people, and they trusted us. It was a lot of pressure. But we could see that vision so clearly.”

Future expansion plans might extend to new portals, in other cities, allowing the story of Meridia to continue. “The idea is really exciting to us,” admits Mitchell.

“But this place feels authentically Bristol, and I’m so glad this will always be the first experience of its kind. Bristol’s got this underground edge to it that’s really unique in the world, and we’re really playing into that.”

As the launch of the OUTERverse dawns, Mitchell is feeling a mixture of emotions. “I’m tired,” he admits. “I’m sad – because it’s been such an amazing build, with 100 of us all working together. I’m nervous about how it’s going to land, but I’m also really excited.

“I love sitting back and just watching how people interact with it; to see the joy on their faces. It’s ready to explode and allow everyone to come in and discover it for themselves.”

Wake The Tiger officially reopens on February 2. For more information and to book tickets, visit www.wakethetiger.com or follow links from @wakethetiger on socials.

All photos: Plaster

Read more: Wake The Tiger reveal expansion plans

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