Specialty Construction, Award of Merit: Meow Wolf Omega Mart

This 52,000-sq-ft interactive art installation in the Area15 complex in Las Vegas is an experience in imagination and immersive storytelling through artwork, lighting effects and high-tech staging as visitors explore a supermarket that guides them into surreal worlds and unexpected landscapes.

For arts company Meow Wolf’s second permanent installation, the Las Vegas office of KHS&S provided framing and finishes as well as theming and rockwork services and installed owner-supplied art pieces.

Many of the exhibits are disguised as secret passageways transporting visitors from one experience to another. Guests find their way into a desert either through the dream jungle or any number of secret corridors, and adjacent to the desert they will discover a multi-level factory with slides, catwalks and functional art pieces.

One installation features psychedelic lights projected onto KHS&S-installed rockwork painted to look like cotton candy. The mix of sound, lighting and art pieces throughout Meow Wolf means each visit will be different.

To overcome a demanding schedule, KHS&S worked with the contractor, owner and trades via daily pull-planning sessions. Omega Mart features the contributions from more than 300 artists and artist groups, both local and international. KHS&S worked alongside the general contractor and one-on-one with Meow Wolf artists to suggest constructibility options for the various exhibits while keeping the unique vision for each installation intact.