Jun 14
On June 13, 2025, Ria G., a PhD Candidate at Cornell University, visited Lumonics. Ria is doing dissertation research at various immersive arts museums, galleries and exhibitions, and came to Denver for an academic conference next week. She has a particular interest in disability arts. We had a wonderful get-together showing her Lumonics, and doing a mini-immersive performance for her.
May 31
As loneliness and anxiety surge, immersive wellness and shared experiences are rising as a new remedy. With the wellness economy projected to soar from $5.6 trillion to $8.5 trillion by 2027, people are seeking new ways to ease anxiety and reconnect. From experiential commissioners to wellness brands and real estate developers, now is the time to invest in projects that blend entertainment with well-being.
Immersive shared experiences are evolving beyond entertainment into transformational wellness catalysts—functional experiences, rooted in neuroscience, designed to create real-world impact on cognitive and emotional well-being. As society demands solutions to global challenges, two key macrotrends are shaping the future of immersive wellness.
Immersive art experiences restore embodiment, act as emotional catalysts, and provide shared reflection spaces to process global and societal challenges. Pioneering in this space is the beautiful book Your Brain on Art by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, promoting the field of neuroarts and how it can improve health and well-being.
As digital life disconnects us from our bodies, we need functional, real-world experiences that restore embodiment and physical awareness. Immersive, multi-sensory art helps us feel present, grounded, and attuned to our emotions, offering a much-needed reconnection to our physical selves.
James Turrell’s Aten Reign plays with space, color, and the Ganzfeld effect—an optical phenomenon where uniform visual fields alter depth perception—shifting perception and deepening physical presence. Spaces like Al Waha, a sensory spa inside the Museum of the Future, use light, sound, and therapeutic interactive treatments to reconnect guests with their senses. Lupuna, a multisensory encounter with Lupuna trees immerses participants in the natural world through spatial audio, light, and rain machines, dissolving the boundary between self and nature. This experience fosters a deep sense of interconnectedness, expanding one’s sense of self. The Hum offers a new way of listening, where guests feel sound spatially inside their bodies through vibrations, deepening sensory perception.
Once embodied, we become more receptive to emotions we’ve suppressed or overlooked. Immersive art can surface hidden feelings, bringing unconscious emotions into awareness and providing space to process them. By eliciting emotions we didn’t realize we carried, it helps us acknowledge, release, and move forward.
Olafur Elliasson’s frictional encounters reveal the symbiotic relationship between audience and artwork, where art catalyzes deep, unarticulated emotions. Your gaze, shaped by past experiences, actively co-creates the piece, making art both a mirror for self-discovery and a tool for emotional processing. Chromasonic Field and Satellite One are rooted in neuroaesthetics, using generative light and sound experiences to dissolve the boundaries between sight and sound. They guide participants into a liminal state where color is audible and sound is visible. This multisensory immersion fosters deep presence, embodiment, and emotional awareness, enhancing relaxation, resilience, and well-being.
Emotions are even more powerful when processed collectively. Belonging is key to well-being—when we process emotions together, we feel seen, supported, and connected. As traditional gathering places like churches and community centers decline, we need new third spaces beyond home and work. Shared reflection spaces offer connection in an era of social fragmentation, fostering healing, social well-being, and deep emotional processing.
Dreamachine uses strobing light and Jon Hopkins’ immersive soundscape to evoke vivid colors and patterns in the mind, simulating a psychedelic experience without drugs and fostering deep introspection. Social saunas are emerging as the new nightlife, offering contrast therapy and real-life connections beyond bars. Othership blends sauna, cold plunges, sound baths, and tea room, with DJ-led “upper” sessions for energy or “downer” sessions for deep relaxation—fostering shared emotional release in a sober, body-positive, and tech-free space. Submersive, an upcoming immersive bathhouse, uses sensory stimuli and neuroscience to elevate consciousness through awe, wonder, and euphoria. As bathhouses rise in popularity, they provide a much-needed digital detox and analog, communal experiences—an antidote to loneliness and information overload.
Awe is a potent force for personal and social transformation, fostering empathy, reducing ego, and increasing prosocial behavior. It shifts us from self-interest to connection, humility, and community, while wonder fuels imagination, risk-taking, and open-mindedness—key traits for leadership and innovation. As Dacher Keltner defines it, awe arises when we encounter something vast that transcends our understanding of the world. It calms the nervous system, reduces stress, and deepens our sense of meaning.
Experiences that cultivate awe unlock creativity and adaptability. The Nomadic School of Wonder, founded by Barbara Groth, designs “adventures in awe” that blend nature, art, and play to nourish imagination and curiosity. As Groth states, “If you don’t have time to nourish your people and their imaginations, you don’t have time to create or invent the new.”
Beau Lotto’s Lab of Misfits uses perceptual neuroscience to help leaders embrace uncertainty, recognizing that “not knowing is—ironically—the most important counterintuitive step that leaders and individuals can take to invent, innovate, and evolve.” By enhancing Perceptual Intelligence—the ability to navigate uncertainty and see differently—they empower individuals and businesses to make better decisions, unlock creativity, and lead with adaptability.
As social creatures, we seek to feel seen, understood, and valued. Shared experiences dissolve ego barriers, foster unity, and enhance well-being, making community a powerful catalyst for transformation.
Events like Burning Mandemonstrate the power of radical participation, where extreme conditions, a gift economy, and communal rituals foster creativity, adaptability, and deep social bonds. In a space without monetary exchange, attendees develop problem-solving skills, prosocial behavior, and resilience, experiencing transformation through community, self-expression, and shared purpose.
Rituals deepen transformation, turning ordinary moments into meaningful shared ceremonies that strengthen identity, belonging, and social bonds. Sociologist Émile Durkheim called this collective effervescence—the heightened energy of shared experiences, where individual boundaries dissolve, amplifying unity, emotional resonance, and collective growth.
Belonging combats the modern loneliness epidemic, which affects 61% of Americans and profoundly shapes both individual well-being and societal health. Storycraft’s Wheel of Belonging highlights pathways like empowerment, purpose, and authenticity, showing that belonging isn’t just a feeling but a commitment to curiosity and meaningful connection. Oasis by Jasmin Jodry
People seek experiences that transform, not just transport. I design storyliving experiences with powerful catalyst moments that may spark change, with true transformation unfolding as participants apply insights in daily life.
My approach follows a three-phase process: priming, where context and engagement are set; catalyst, where a pivotal moment may trigger change; and integration, supported through built-in reflection moments and follow-up engagement, such as email check-ins. Transformation doesn’t end when the experience does. While personal application is unique to each participant, I see opportunities to deepen this phase—whether through guided facilitation or structured follow-through—to help change take root.
For example, my mother’s lifelong dream of singing was reignited at 72 when I surprised her with a live band playing her favorite songs—a catalyst that reawakened her passion. Now, she sings daily in her senior living home. To nurture that transformation, I hired a singing teacher specializing in dementia to help her reconnect with memory through music. This experience reinforces how catalyst moments spark lasting transformation—especially when supported with thoughtful follow-through.
Even when transformation isn’t an explicit KPI for a ticketed immersive experience in LBE, I love embedding aspirational hooks and catalyst moments into the worlds I design. My projects span wellness to entertainment, including neuroaesthetic breathwork immersions and multisensory spa concepts.
On the entertainment side, I envision, conceptualize, and creative-direct IP-based worlds that immerse guests in cinematic storytelling and interactive experiences. Bob Marley: Hope Road at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas unites participants through music, while Mafia Mansion challenges guests to navigate ethical dilemmas. In Avatar: The Way of Water Experience, guests synchronize heartbeat and breath like the Na’vi with Eywa. A rainforest journey fosters love for the jungle, inspiring rainforest preservation and driving climate action. At their core, these experiences are bold, immersive, and entertaining—designed to inspire personal and social transformation with an impactful edge.
From awe and community to catalyst experiences, immersive wellness is redefining how we heal, connect, and grow. As Joe Pine says, we are in the New You business—where well-being unlocks human potential through transformative experiences.
This isn’t just a trend; it’s the future of experience design. Experiential commissioners, real estate developers, and wellness brands have a rare opportunity to pioneer new frontiers in healing and transformation—shaping a more connected, thriving society. The time to act is now.
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Jasmin Jodry is an award-winning Creative Director and experience designer, recognized as one of the Blooloop Top 50 Immersive Influencers worldwide. She creates immersive storyliving experiences blending art, entertainment, and technology to encourage participation and inspire social connection.
May 22
Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery: A Legacy of Light, Sound, and Immersive Art
Nestled in Denver, Colorado, Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery is not just an art space—it is a living, breathing experience of light, sound, and emotion. Founded by the late artists Dorothy (1923–2020) and Mel Tanner (1925–1993), Lumonics stands as one of the longest-running light art projects in the United States. What began as an experimental journey in the 1960s in Miami has become a groundbreaking blend of visual art, music, projection, and performance, inspiring generations of artists and audiences alike.
The story of Lumonics is one of innovation born in seclusion. At the same time as the Light and Space Movement was forming in California—with institutional and commercial support—the Tanners were quietly crafting their vision in Miami, Florida, far from any established art world. Without access to grants or gallery systems, they poured their energy into building a complete art environment: the Lumonics Light and Sound Theatre, a multisensory installation space unlike anything of its time.
Unaware they were part of a broader movement, the Tanners independently developed a practice that used light sculptures, music compositions, slide and film projections, and live performance to induce a state of emotional and spiritual resonance. The result was more than just visual art—it was an immersive journey of the senses, decades ahead of today’s experiential art trends.
The Tanners’ creative output is astounding. Over a period of 50 years, they created more than 200 works of light art, many of which are now preserved and displayed at the Denver gallery. These include early sculptures built with incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, which have since been updated to energy-efficient LED lighting, ensuring their longevity while preserving their original glow and intent.
In the heart of the gallery stands one of Dorothy Tanner’s signature pieces: “Fire Dance.” This sculpture casts a radiant reflection across the room, transforming walls and ceilings into a stage of shifting color and light. It is a stunning example of how the Tanners’ works not only occupy space—but transform it.
Carrying the vision forward are long-time Lumonics collaborators Marc Billard and Barry Raphael, who now lead the Lumonics Legacy Project. One of their most celebrated offerings is Lumonics Immersed, a contemporary performance event that merges the original elements of light, sound, and projection in a fully immersive environment.
In Lumonics Immersed, visitors recline in a darkened performance space surrounded by glowing sculptures, ambient music, and dreamlike video. The result is a meditative, often healing experience, inviting deep introspection and calm—a stark contrast to the overstimulation of modern digital life.
This blend of past and present, analogue and digital, honors the Tanners’ original vision while making it newly relevant to today’s audiences.
Lumonics is not just a gallery for viewing—it is a hub for community and healing. The studio actively collaborates with local organizations to make light art accessible to people from all walks of life. These include:
These outreach efforts reflect a deep belief in the transformative power of art, especially for those facing personal or emotional challenges. Lumonics also works with the Denver Public School System, reinforcing their commitment to educational engagement through art.
While Lumonics operated outside of traditional art institutions for decades, it has recently begun to receive international scholarly recognition. Prof. Pierre Penuit, an art historian at The Sorbonne in Paris, now includes Lumonics in his course on the history of light art. After visiting the Denver gallery, he remarked on the cohesive vision and preserved brilliance of the Tanners’ work—saying it looked as though it was made yesterday, not over half a century ago.
This acknowledgment affirms what many visitors feel instinctively: Lumonics is a rare and essential part of contemporary art history—an underground movement now coming into the light.
As the world rushes toward faster and flashier forms of digital entertainment, Lumonics offers something refreshingly different: a quiet, glowing sanctuary of reflection, emotion, and sensory wonder. Whether you’re an art lover, educator, spiritual seeker, or simply curious about light-based media, Lumonics invites you to slow down and immerse yourself.
The legacy of Dorothy and Mel Tanner is one of perseverance, passion, and belief in the human spirit’s ability to heal and connect through art. Their story is a reminder that even in isolation, artists can shape the future—and that visionary ideas will always find their audience.
If you’re in Denver, a visit to Lumonics is not to be missed. For those farther away, follow along online or inquire about interviews, media requests, or educational programs.
Contact:
Barry Raphael, Studio Associate
Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery
800 E. 73 Ave. Unit 11, Denver, CO 80229
303.568.9406
lumonics@gmail.com
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May 06
Lumonics Mind Spas foster a state of relaxation and creativity for temporary or permanent private or public spaces. We welcome museum administrators, city planners, art consultants, architects, designers, HR, and indivuals to inquire.
The Lumonics Mind Spa is a concept developed by Dorothy Tanner (1923-2020) who wanted her light sculptures and those of her late husband Mel to be experienced as a total art installation that fosters a state of comfort, relaxation, and creativity.
Lumonics is among the earliest and longest-running light art projects in the U.S. We have an archive of over 50 years of light art to select for your location. We also provide original video art and music to complement the light sculptures to create an expanded multi-sensory experience.
