The Floral Escape

November 23, 2021

The Floral Escape

Immersive experiences seem to be all the rage these days, whether they are the art-based experiences like the Van Gogh Exhibit or immersive theater or art experiences like Meow Wolf, they are sprouting up seemingly everywhere and are the en vogue thing to do in many places. There is an ongoing and sometimes intense argument about whether these experiences qualify as art in and of themselves or are purely entertainment.

Personally, I think they are a bit of both, of course they are not a traditional art experience, not a museum or gallery and they certainly are entertaining, but at the same time they seem to me artistic endeavors in and of themselves. 

Immersive experiences attempt to engage all five senses in unique physical spaces. New creative canvases are emerging that integrate storytelling, technology, art, and audience participation. It’s an evolving category that began primarily in the art and themed entertainment worlds but has since transformed into its own entertainment phenomenon.

There are a number of these experiences popping up in Florida and Miami has had their fair share and having the time and opportunity, I have tried giving as many as possible a try. I realize that it is something of bandwagon jumping, but I always like to try as many new and interesting experiences as possible.

There just happened to be a pair of such experiences at the Aventura Mall in Miami and I wanted to take the opportunity to experience them for myself. The first was called The Floral Escape which is a series of fourteen floral activation scenes to be experienced by families, friends, and visitors to capture memorable moments immersed in larger-than-life florals. Step by step, color by color, the essence of the various seasons emerges as you stroll through a blooming walkway, posing for photos along the way.

After the morning at the Miami Zoo, I drove up to the Aventura Mall to check out the Floral Escape. It was much smaller than I imagined and obviously designed for the selfie crowd who would use the various scenes to take photos for any number of reasons, from holiday cards to profile photos and other self-absorbed reasons.

In spite, of the obvious commercial aspect and the fact that it really wasn’t all that immersive, it still had its charms. The beautifully designed various scenes were pretty cool and really interesting for the photographer side of my personality. 

It wasn’t worth the price of admission and overall it was something of a disappointment, but I was able to get some decent and interesting photos of the experience. I was hopeful that the second immersive experience, Miami Sweet would be somewhat more interesting.

https://www.thefloralescape.com/