Mixing it up at Factory Obscura

This story originally ran on VelocityOKC.com.

A stirring is rippling through the contemporary art scene in Oklahoma City. There is a special group of creatives looking to mix things up once again, proving to ourselves and the world that our city truly is brimming with art, culture and innovation. This collective of local artists is Factory Obscura. Founded in 2017 to provide immersive art experiences, build a creative economy and support arts education, Factory Obscura is quickly becoming a contemporary arts juggernaut. With ambitious plans to establish a large-scale permanent home here in the heart of OKC, the collective has already completed three experiences, each growing in scale and complexity over the last two years. The organization recently joined the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.

Factory Obscura hosted the first of these one-of-a-kind experiences, Midnight Dinner, in November 2017, where a limited number of guests were invited to gather in a top-secret location for an intimate performative dinner party and fundraiser. This event was a preview for their next endeavor later that same month, entitled SHIFT, a free temporary immersive experience created through the artist-in-residence program at Current Studio. More than 20,000 people traversed this full-sensory exploration through the landscape of human consciousness. Building on this success, Factory Obscura launched BEYOND in October 2017, a mystical art odyssey celebrating the time of year when the veil between worlds grows thin. In the few short months of its run, more than 13,000 people crossed its arcane threshold into other dimensions.

Now Factory Obscura is making its biggest waves yet by embarking on its first permanent experience, Mix-Tape. Located inside the iconic Womb Art Complex in Automobile Alley, the first phase of Mix-Tape will open March 21, 2019, including a gift shop with merchandise by Factory Obscura, Meow Wolf and the Flaming Lips, plus interactive installations in the lobby. Meanwhile, the collective will continue to build a 6,000-square-foot experience opening Sept. 21, 2019. Join in and follow along with this truly unique-to-OKC art experience at www.factoryobscura.fun.