Above: The Neon Kingdom stage at Meow Wolf Grapevine, which the artist collective plans to use for community events and local musicians.
One moment, I’m standing in a drab hallway in the Grapevine Mills shopping mall, listening to the sound of blankness. When I enter “The Real Unreal”—the fourth permanent installation from artist collective Meow Wolf, and the first in Texas—I hear a gentle, whooshing static. It’s a palate cleanser, like a drink of water before tasting something new. Then, I step through a heavy office door into another world.
I’m in a lush suburban backyard in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Crickets chirp, mingling with the sound of traffic, far enough away that it adds to the sense of coziness and peace. The air even smells like earth and tomato plants from the vegetable garden, lit by gentle fairy lights.
