Have A Romantic Date With Nature at NOWHERE

Irene Li, Associate Editor | Aug 12, 2022 4:32 pm | Add a comment | 247 reads

I have deep affection for nature. The moment I walked into "NOWHERE”, an immersive art experience in Tongzhou district, I was blown away by what I saw.

Here, nature blends into the décor so perfectly that I almost felt like I was Alice walking into Wonderland. As night began to fall, I knew I was about to witness one of the most unique symphonies that nature would ever perform to me.

Organized by the group WildChina, the experience aims to put people back into nature after being cooped up due to things like the pandemic and the restriction of movement that comes with it, says WildChina corporate services director MJ Wang.

NOWHERE’s founding belief is that humans and nature are inherently inseparable; by losing touch with the natural world we also lose touch with our true selves. NOWHERE is an immersive pop-up experience featuring curated natural scenes that transcend expectation – from a quiet forest past a meandering river to the solitude of a remote temple - to present a unique, time-limited, sensory-flow event and experience. NO WHERE is a mindset, NOW HERE is the realization

The whole experience is split into five segments, called "acts", each with their own special significance and theme.

This is how it all played out during my visit...

First Act - the Forest of Mirrors

I've seen mirrors everywhere, but never have I ever seen mirrors so cleverly positioned in a forest. The world seems much bigger when you look at it through a mirror. The mirrors tricked my eyes into thinking that the forest extended out indefinitely , with no end in sight.

But mirrors can do so much more. I took a photograph of myself and started to wonder: Did I just take a picture to capture this very moment at a particular time in a particular place? Or did I just capture an image of art?

Second Act - the Symphony of Nature

While I was still lost in the reflections these mirrors provided, my attention was slowly shifted to a unique sound that only a cello could produce.

It started just as a gentle hum, and one could barely notice the fragments of musical notes at first, however, as the air was filled with the sound of Bach's "Gigue", the entire forest turned into a lively concert and just when I wondering what would happen next, several goats entered the seating area, making me feel like as if they were enjoying this lively outdoor concert just as much as we were.

Third Act - Gratitude for Sustenance

Next up came a special forest and nature-themed dinner.

Hidden secretly behind these mirrors was a long table that welcomed me with an array of delicious treats. The menu, designed by Groupe Flo managing director Jimmy Loh, features delicacies like the Burrata cheese formed to resemble clouds and organic tomatoes topped with balsamic caviar that was reminiscent of the ocean.

Guests will be able to indulge in ingredients sourced from all over the world. The Wagyu beef from Australia was finely cut and tender, the wild salmon from Sichuan was deliciously juicy, and the scallops from Hokkaido were beautifully done.

Fourth Act - Circle of Life

Mother nature breeds life and nourishes everything. If you could have an opportunity to give back to the nature, what would you do?

During this act, guests will be able to pick up a bird house and hang it in the forest, an interesting way of gifting birds with a home, even if it might seem a bit odd in a forest.

Fifth Act The Fullness of Nature

The fifth and final act was one I'll never forget. Out walked a dancer under the light of a disco ball, spinning and twirling about as if having an inner monologue only nature itself could understand. During this dance, all I ever wanted was to go barefoot and dance wildly in nature as my senses were heightened and my entire body was awakened.