NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This Friday, April 7th, The House of Cannabis (THCNYC) is officially opening its doors. Ten mind-bending, immersive experiences created by filmmakers as well as local and international artists transport guests through the many dimensions of cannabis culture. The House of Cannabis is the first-ever, permanent home celebrating “high culture” and its enormous influence on music, art, fashion, social reform and agriculture. Housed in a 30,000 square foot, historic cast iron building, the new destination sits at the iconic intersection of Howard and Broadway in SoHo.
Starting this Friday, guests are invited to journey into the world of cannabis, exploring the multi-faceted plant spanning three floors:
FLOOR 4: High Culture
- Disorientation: Step into the green abyss where audiences are engulfed by an explosive multi-media experience celebrating the storied 6,000-year history of cannabis and the tremendous impact a single plant has on influencing culture.
- The Euphorium: A backstage pass transports guests to the ultimate Cannabis Music Festival. Mind-blowing sight, sound and motion engulfs the space as audiences are immersed in a hazy, euphoric experience celebrating the unique connection between music and the plant. Participants lay back and let the vibes flow while lounging on a giant spinning LP, journeying into genres including hip hop, rap, jazz, country, reggae and rock – iconic hits imagined and inspired by the artists' relationship to Cannabis.
- The Forum: Examine the stories of millions impacted by oppressive, racially charged marijuana law enforcement. Guided by the Drug Policy Alliance, this multi-media exhibit brings to life the magnitude of the issue, giving guests an intimate look at the largely unknown ways that even a minor marijuana conviction effects peoples’ lives ranging from incarceration to impeding education, immigration, employment, housing and child welfare.
- The Joint: A rotational gallery space honoring artists and makers at the nexus of cannabis culture from the worlds of fashion, music and art. The premiere exhibit, The Art of Sneakers, elevates street art to fine art through an incredible collective of designers, painters, sculptors and visual artists. Cannabis and sneaker subcultures have a significant overlap evolving over time to become a cultural movement.
FLOOR 3: The Plant, A 6000-Year Journey
- The Grow: Cannabis cultivation is a complex undertaking, requiring extreme agricultural skill akin to the production of fine wine. THE GROW journeys guests through the process where they experience nature’s magic through the first-ever living, breathing urban grow in the heart of New York City. Exploring all cultivation aspects of the plant, The Grow is comprised of three light and temperature-controlled chambers featuring live plants. The journey takes participants through the magical life cycle beginning with mothers and clones, to propagation and the grand finale, the flowering or budding phase.
- The Microverse: Guests step inside the cannabis atom where they view the other-worldly universe that exists inside this magical molecule. Alien-like images and video from the world’s top macro photographer, Chris Romaine of Kandid Kush, are featured revealing the beauty of the plant in this intimate, mesmerizing glimpse of what lives under the microscope.
- The Olfactory: Olfactory senses come alive through the magic of terpenes. Six unique terpene aromatics are central to an elegant and dramatic gallery featuring a light installation from world-renowned artist, Jason Krugman, enabling guests to smell the sensation of lust, laughter, energy, sleep, creativity and calm all central to the benefits of cannabis.
- Seed to Soul: Famed rapper, Currency’s, original, evocative poetic lyrics comprise this interactive video word installation. Audiences are immersed in motion and light as their shadows become living poetry.
FLOOR 2: Ascension: The Journey Crescendos
- The Spot: Laugher. Connectivity. Thought. Enjoy the communal nature of cannabis at THE SPOT, an imaginative, interpretation of a park. Designed to visually communicate the importance of an urban forest, a giant tree installation spans the room with extensive roots serving as seats and tables for rolling classes, talks and entertainment. An immersive and provocative art activity encourages guests to share their thoughts with others and explore others’ thoughts.
- The Hypnodrome: Created by Benjamin Gordon, a visual artist, composer and programmer exploring the intersection of AI, psychedelics and consciousness. “HIGHER SELF” is a fully engulfing hypnotic journey that induces the sensation of being high through visual and audio abstraction. Conceived as a “guided levitation,” guests are moved to a transcendent state through this multi-sensory experience where the gradual accession to being high is replicated through creative filmmaking.
CEO, Robert Frey, said, “We are proud of the creativity and intention behind The House of Cannabis. We believe this is a long overdue, important story to tell and it will appeal to cannabis connoisseurs, medicinal and recreational users as well as the canna curious. Our hope is that it is on all East Coast and tourists bucket list.
Anchoring the exploratory environments is an equally immersive ground floor retail destination featuring a café and a full-size corner store with an extensive snack section. The retail area focuses on connoisseurship with an elevated shop featuring the best-of-the-best in artful cannabis lifestyle and design products, street wear and a dedicated well-being apothecary. In addition, there is a luxurious private event space.
The ticketed exhibition spaces will be open daily from 11 AM to 8 PM. For more information and tickets, visit www.thcnyc.com and follow along on Instagram at @THCNYC.
About The House of Cannabis
The House of Cannabis (THCNYC) is the first-ever, multi-sensory, immersive experience journeying guests through cannabis culture. This interactive journey showcases 10 transportive experiences created by leading artists and filmmakers, weaving together cannabis' connection to fashion, music, art, pop culture, and agriculture in a unique and compelling way. Located in Soho, one of the most iconic neighborhoods in NYC, THCNYC spans 5 floors and is housed in a historic, cast iron building that spans over 30,000 square feet. This new cultural institution offers a curated retail destination, munchy-minded café and corner store, and private work and lounge space. Join the revolution and discover a new perspective on cannabis culture. Follow along on Instagram @THCNYC or visit thcnyc.com.
