HideSeek is a limited time pop-up “experience inspired by childhood nostalgia” according to their website, which is currently going on in Montreal until Feb. 9. The experience is meant to trigger nostalgia to “fulfill the universal dream of adulthood.” I went into this with the excitement of being thrown back into my childhood but it wasn’t exactly how I expected it.
When an event is titled as an “immersive experience”, that implies that all five senses should be triggered. Indeed, four senses out of the five were considered. The installations were colourful- with bright neon signs, different textures, and colour-themed for each room- which did a fantastic job to appeal to the eyes. The sense of touch was also well catered to thanks to the ball pit you can climb into, the furry walls, and the plastic toys. Throughout your visit, throwback songs from the early 2000s played in the background, making the auditory sense vibrant. The sense of taste was more subtly touched on with a lollipop and Jolly Rancher dispenser in a corner of one of the rooms. Finally, I could not recognize any particular smell during the tour.
The installations meant to create nostalgia may not spark memories for everyone. For instance, the only elements that truly sparked the slightest childhood memory in me was the ball pit and the colour-coordinated cereal boxes of Trix and Lucky Charms placed on the walls of one room. Some people may not have been able to afford brand name cereals as a child, didn’t grow up in a country where the games on display were relevant or have had the chance to jump into a ball pit until now.
Going through the funhouse, I started to get the impression that the creators of the installation were more focused on creating aesthetically-pleasing locations to take pictures, more than actually creating the feeling of nostalgia. Their homepage advertises that cool pictures can be taken here, “capture moment you’ll want to show and tell.”
It’s a little too bad that something that could have been so much more fun and playful, turned out to be a place to pose and smile. It is also an easy marketing strategy for the HideSeek group- Once you post a picture, your followers may be interested to go and take pictures there too. Advertising that it would spark nostalgia and childhood memories was not really the correct way to go about it. It’s a cute place to take pictures, it’s just there is not much nostalgia to be felt. However, it was still a unique and engaging place to take part in this with friends.
If you are looking for a place to take pictures of yourself and spice up your Instagram feed, this is the place to go. If you are looking for a cool art exposition or to truly feel nostalgic, then this isn’t really it.
In case you’re interested in visiting yourself, tickets are $26 including taxes for students and kids between 4 and 12, and $31.93 including taxes for general admission. You are able to choose a time slot when purchasing the ticket. They are open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thurs., from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.