It might be true that the best art can’t be easily explained with words.
If a piece of work can fully capture a feeling or emotion, then it’s bound to be just as difficult to describe, meant to be experienced rather than expounded upon.
Rarely has OKC seen a work that fits that potentially unexplainable, wholly experiential descriptor better than HOPPIS, the new immersive, interactive installation at Factory Obscura’s Mix-Tape space.
Billed as “an unforgettable journey through five immersive habitats, where reality and fantasy converge in a spectacle of beauty and magic,” HOPPIS runs now through November 1st, but it’s only until October 22nd that guests will be able to meet (and dance with) the “creatures” that populate the fantastical world.
Five Fantasies
Stepping into the world of HOPPIS, guests find themselves in a single, large, open space housing each of the five individual – though often interacting – “habitats” that form the immersive installation.
There’s a day-glo dance party, a lush, green forest cave, a cushioned Persian-style lounge, an open and lustrous, silvery realm, and most lavishly and creatively, a fully furnished, retro-styled, nuclear family home for a clan of domesticated fish-people.
Each of the habitats is connected by the open spaces between and above, and by the persistent, relentlessly catchy music, which morphs and changes slightly depending on which area you’re exploring.
By day, the HOPPIS world is open to visitors, with each area ready to offer up its mysteries, artworks, and countless hidden Easter eggs.
But by night, the world’s inhabitants all come out to play, and that’s where the real magic, the truly infectious fun, and the unabashed positivity of HOPPIS all come dancing to life.
Creature Comforts
During the evening hours, the five fantastical spaces burst to life, suddenly inhabited by a full cast of costumed characters, each as densely creative and wildly colorful as the immersive environment they share.
They dance, they move, they play, and most importantly, they encourage you to do the same, beckoning you to dance along with them and always gesturing and drawing attention to the hidden secrets of their lairs.
Every “creature” of HOPPIS is performed solely by just one performer each, allowing them all to develop a style and personality (and dance moves) that speak to the individual aesthetics and movements of the sometimes strikingly elaborate costumes.
There’s a brightly colored “tube person” with slinky-like extendable limbs, an awe-inspiring, multi-faced moon goddess, hyper color elephants, a glowing-eyed, golden tiger, and a big, fuzzy, infinitely smiling bear-like creature that could have stepped right out of “Where the Wild Things Are.”
The family of intricately designed fish-people, I’m told, is actually performed by a complete, real family, and their “house” contains a multitude of family vacation photos, fridge-hung children’s drawings, and more, all tailored to the everyday lives of an undersea sitcom family.
A Living Tribute
The atmosphere of HOPPIS is pure, imaginative fun, which takes on an important, even vital context when discussing the roots of the installation with lead artist Leslie Hensley.
“Each habitat is actually made for someone I’ve lost,” Hensley said. “Your friends are for fun and escape, and what better way to honor their memories.”
For as impenetrably surreal and endearingly strange as much of HOPPIS is, it all begins to make perfect sense when you know that these otherworldly realms are based on the lingering impressions and unique personalities of people close to Hensley.
Even the name HOPPIS comes from the surname of a close friend of Hensley’s now gone.
“It’s like a way of saying ‘this is for you,’ you know, ‘we had the best time together,'” she explained. “And we want to honor them in a way that’s going to bring joy. I know it’s Halloween season, but I think we’ve all been scared enough.”
Aiding Hensley in this immersive, living tribute, and adding their own creative touches and emotional visions are a full team of artistic collaborators, such as Ian Harms, Zeke Varnell, Nikolas Thompson, Thorne Poorman, Thomas Surratt, and Eboni Adams.
Perhaps her closest co-conspirator in bringing HOPPIS to life, however, is multi-media punk artist and tattooist Austin Tatious, who said that the interactivity of the project was always the central concept.
“We just wanted everyone to be able to walk around and meet the creatures,” he said, “and really get to be a part of that fantasy environment.”
‘Happy Check’
Rather than a somber tribute to lost friends or a macabre addition to the usual Halloween horrors, Hensley wanted to focus on something purely positive, a beguiling liminal space where the music never ends, where every exploration leads to new discoveries, and where dancing is always encouraged.
“We want people to come here and just cash their happy check,” she said. “Just really let loose and let it happen.”
HOPPIS at Factory Obscura’s Mix-Tape is open daily now through November 1st, but the fully populated “creature” performances only begin in the evening hours, with the cast’s final full-costumed appearance set for Sunday, October 22nd.
For tickets, times, and more information, visit factoryobscura.com and follow the HOPPIS project on Instagram at @hoppisokc.
Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
