‘A New Día’ is Just Another Day (Review)
The branded experience at Wisdome presented by Estrella Jalisco comes off as watery
Wisdome LA and Estrella Jalisco collaborated to bring something seasonal together in LA’s Arts District that finally addresses the age-old tradition of Día de los Muertos. While I applaud the idea of an immersive experience around a holiday so rich in history (albeit more Instagram-museum-style), A New Día fell short of my expectations.
I went with a friend (who else would take the photos?) to see how Wisdome’s projections can bring us on a journey of life, death, and rebirth with a beer in hand. Upon entering, the campus is spacious and decorated for a cocktail party but nothing inspiring stood out. Of course, the domes themselves are the main attractions.
Each geodesic dome has been outfitted for a separate purpose, and only two use the domes’ built-in projection systems. As patrons move from one experience to the next, there are certainly interesting things to admire visually, but it’s good to remind you Insta photographers out there that the interiors of these domes are dark. Fortunately, the art pieces were straightforward and all the content looped. The issue here was every room’s “moment” was too short, and there is too little to see.
Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez has the difficult task of taking us on an enlightening journey paired with incredibly heavy-handed branding. Alongside the visuals, Rodriguez performs each room’s narration himself.
Yet each inspiring quote or powerful moment is buttoned with how well it pairs with Estrella beer. Practically each one. Nothing takes me out of an experience faster.
We were encouraged to move at our own pace, and I certainly stayed longer than 95% of guests, spending at around several minutes per area. Overall, you could complete the tour in about 20 minutes before getting tired of the narration.
This 35,000 sq. ft. multi-room event in DTLA really caters to folks that want a dash of Museum of Ice Cream mixed with… well, beer. For the ticket price of $29 (beers or micheladas cost extra), A New Día might be a nice, albeit expensive, little date spot before heading off to something else.
Get Will Cherry’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
SubscribeSubscribe
Before I submitting this review, I should note that I actually returned to Wisdome for a non-press event to catch Slamdance’s DIG (Digital, Interactive, Gaming), and I bought the ticket. Why? For $29, I could experience A New Día in normal settings, but I could also try a plethora of new games, shows, and digital art that felt worth every penny. DIG is a gateway to the kooky, innovative work normally found in GDC’s Experimental Games Seminar, and anytime you can try these pieces is thought-provoking. (Catch me practicing my side-gig in Sloppy Forgeries anytime.)
A New Día continues through November 1. Tickets are $29.
Slamdance DIG runs October 24–25 and is included in the ticket price for A New Día.
NoPro is a labor of love made possible by our generous Patreon backers. Join them today!
In addition to the No Proscenium web site, our podcast, and our newsletters, you can find NoPro on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, in the Facebook community Everything Immersive, and on our Slack forum.
Office facilities provided by Thymele Arts, in Los Angeles, CA.