Communications

Fairgrounds St. Pete, Tampa Bay’s first and only immersive art and technology experience, will reveal a new interactive installation Electric Sky Lounge on Thursday, March 24. Created in collaboration with internationally renowned artist Neil Mendoza, featuring his award-winning artworks Disruptive Devices.

Electric Sky Lounge is a new immersive experience in which Disruptive Devices, a set of three interactive artworks, are presented. Guests are invited to interact with each work using a crank wheel that changes a virtual world. The result is a surprising and humorous interaction between the real and the digital worlds.

“Guests are in for such a fun surprise when they walk into Electric Sky Lounge and interact with this installation and Neil Mendoza’s artwork,” said Olivia Mansion, Fairgrounds St. Pete Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder. “Electric Sky Lounge is unlike any other exhibit we’ve seen in Tampa Bay and is sure to be a huge hit with guests of all ages.”  

“We’re excited to invite our guests to engage with this fascinating combination of art and tech in our new immersive exhibit. The innovative ways in which Neil Mendoza has combined art and technology in his artwork is both remarkable and fun,” said Mikhail Mansion, Fairgrounds St. Pete Chief Design Officer and Co-Founder. “His artwork blurs the lines between realities”.

Neil Mendoza’s practice combines sculpture, electronics and software to bring inanimate objects and spaces to life. By combining found objects with technology in unexpected ways, the various elements of his work are viewed from a new perspective. Mendoza explores themes of the absurd, the humorous, the futile and the surreal. He has exhibited work and talked at conferences around the world, taught classes on art and technology at UCLA and Stanford and co-founded the art collective “is this good?”.

“I’m interested in expanding our culture’s perception of technology and what it can do and be,” said Artist Neil Mendoza. “Disruptive Devices explores themes of environmental sustainability and the impact of technology in our lives, through a surreal and playful lens.” 

“Bringing new and exciting art experiences to St. Pete is an important part of our mission,” said Liz Dimmitt, Fairgrounds St. Pete CEO and Co-Founder. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to share this incredible and clever installation with our audience.”

Fairgrounds St. Pete, a woman and veteran-owned local business, had its grand opening on December 16, 2021.

Electric Sky Lounge and Disruptive Devices can be experienced the weekend of March 24 onward. Timed tickets can be purchased in advance at www.tickets.fgspdev.wpengine.com

To learn more about Neil Mendoza and his artwork click here. To experience Neil’s work in person at Fairgrounds St. Pete, get your ticket today, and join our Insiders Club for the latest Fairgrounds St. Pete news.

Fairgrounds St. Pete, Tampa Bay’s first and only immersive art and technology experience, will unveil a new installation titled Myriad Loops by internationally acclaimed South Florida artist Francesco Lo Castro on Thursday, January 27, 2022. 

Located just inside the main entrance to Fairgrounds St. Pete, Lo Castro’s artwork transports visitors to the Fairgrounds St. Pete universe. Myriad Loops features 360-degree projection-mapped animation in Lo Castro’s unique visual style as well as a soundtrack he composed. 

“Art that incorporates technology to enhance audience experience is something we’re passionate about,” said Mikhail Mansion, Fairgrounds St. Pete CTO and Co-Founder. “Francesco Lo Castro’s artwork is an incredible addition that combines the two beautifully. We’re very excited to share it with the Tampa Bay community.” 

“Making work that explores the boundaries between art and technology has been a decade-long practice of mine,” said Francesco Lo Castro, Fairgrounds St. Pete artist. “Thoughtful implementation of emerging technologies can considerably enhance the capability to create a truly powerful art experience.” 

Inaugural Fairgrounds St. Pete artist, Lo Castro, has made a name for himself as a prolific artist with diverse technical range. His work has been exhibited internationally and featured in numerous publications. Based on the storied phenomenon of hurricanes, Lo Castro’s vision with Myriad Loops is to place the viewer in the eye of a storm, to be carried away into an abstract vortex of geometry and light. As guests make their way into Fairgrounds St. Pete, they will be immersed in Lo Castro’s dynamic installation and feel as though they are being transported to another world. 

“Myriad Loops is a highly anticipated addition to our immersive experience,” said Liz Dimmitt, Fairgrounds St. Pete CEO and Co-Founder. “We are committed to continuing to enhance the guest experience by regularly adding new and compelling artwork to Fairgrounds St. Pete.”

Fairgrounds St. Pete, a woman and veteran-owned local business, had its Grand Opening on December 16, 2021 at The Factory St. Pete.

“Guests are sure to be amazed when they step into Myriad Loops,” said Olivia Mansion, Fairgrounds St. Pete Director of Communications and Co-Founder. “We’re excited to share in the joy and wonder that Fairgrounds St. Pete guests are going to experience within this incredible new installation.”

Myriad Loops can be experienced the weekend of January 27, 2022 onward. Timed tickets can be purchased in advance at www.fgspdev.wpengine.com.

To learn more about Francesco Lo Castro and his artwork click here. To experience Francesco’s work in person at Fairgrounds St. Pete, get your ticket today, and join our Insiders Club for the latest Fairgrounds St. Pete news.