Pilot: Kai’s Room – Launching a New Immersive Art Era in Tacoma

Immersive storytelling can transport us—into memory, myth, and possibility. Kai’s Room, the first immersive experience developed under the Inner Sanctum initiative, is Tacoma’s first step into that world.

Now open in downtown Tacoma, Kai’s Room blends narrative design, community-driven artmaking, and spatial storytelling to offer something Tacoma has never seen before. This grassroots, artist-built room is the pilot project for a broader vision: to establish Tacoma as a hub for immersive, analog-first art rooted in local culture, science, and imagination.

This project was made possible through funding from the City of Tacoma’s Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality, and with creative labor from across the community.

Small in Size, Deep in Story

At just 252 sq ft, Kai’s Room is intentionally small—an intimate, detailed environment designed for close looking and emotional presence. Every surface, prop, and symbol plays a role in the narrative. To maintain a thoughtful, immersive pace, no more than 5–6 visitors are allowed inside at once.

This is a space built for slow discovery, strange details, and subtle atmosphere.

The Narrative: Enter Kai’s World

Kai is a school-age boy growing up in Tacoma. His father is a quiet aerospace engineer, and his work is secretive—strange papers, strange signals, a locked closet. One day, Kai decides to investigate. The room you enter is his world—frozen in time, flickering with static, and filled with memory, mystery, and questions.

Visitors uncover fragments of a much larger mystery:

• A rumored UFO crash

• Pulsewave technology developed in secret

• The collapse of the Narrows Bridge

• Reports of mutated cryptids in the wilderness and tidepools of the Pacific Northwest

Kai’s Room is the first glimpse into the unfolding Inner Sanctum mythology—a fictional universe built from Tacoma’s past, future, and what might have been.

Community Built, Artist Led

Kai’s Room was conceived and directed by Herschel Wilson, and brought to life by a diverse team of Tacoma artists, builders, students, and residents. It is a project created with and for the community.

Creative Team:

• Aleeza McCant, Production Designer – led the spatial, tactile, and visual design of the room.

• Sarah Leever, Narrative Designer – developed the story structure, interactive elements, and emotional progression.

• Lisa Fruichantie, Technical Support Artist – provided critical design and technical guidance.

• Brian [Last Name], Structural Designer – built the physical set elements and constructed the foundations of the space.

• Herschel Wilson, Creative Director & Conceptual Artist – developed the story universe, directed the project, and tied the experience to a broader artistic vision for Tacoma.

Community Contributors:

• Students from Beyond the Bell

• Artists and residents from Tacoma’s Eastside

• Community members at People’s Community Center

This is a true grassroots collaboration—a project shaped by dozens of hands, voices, and perspectives.

Free to Visit (For Now)

Kai’s Room is currently free to explore as part of its limited-time pilot preview. This early phase allows visitors to experience the space and offer feedback, helping us shape the next evolution.

No tickets or reservations required. Walk-ins welcome.

After the free preview ends, admission will begin:

• $5 for adults

• $2 for children (under 12)

With paid admission, each guest will receive a pair of 3D glasses that unlock hidden visuals embedded in the space—color layers, coded clues, and surreal surprises. These glasses are not distributed during the free period, but will be yours to keep once paid entry begins.

Why a Pilot? Why Now?

Kai’s Room is just the beginning. As a pilot, it’s meant to:

• Test Tacoma’s appetite for immersive, interactive storytelling

• Provide a training ground for local artists in immersive production

• Begin building a sustainable model for immersive art in Tacoma

• Spark a larger creative universe that continues to evolve over time

This is more than a room. It’s a cultural prototype.

Supported by Community and City

While independently produced, Kai’s Room benefitted from verbal mentorship from national immersive leaders like Factory Obscura, creators of Mixtape in Oklahoma City. Their insight and generosity helped shape the creative process behind the scenes.

Local support has come from:

• City of Tacoma’s Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality (funding partner)

• Northwest College of Art & Design

• Metro Parks Tacoma

• Tacoma Creates

Each of these partners sees the potential in immersive storytelling to create jobs, inspire young people, and bring imagination to the public sphere.

What’s Next: Inner Sanctum Expands

Kai’s Room is the prologue. Future chapters in the Inner Sanctum universe will bring new characters, timelines, and secrets to light, all woven into Tacoma’s real and imagined history.

Planned future developments include:

• A multi-room immersive arts house with rotating installations

• Paid artist cohorts in production and narrative design

• Programming for youth and emerging creatives

• Exhibits featuring cryptids, classified tech, time disruptions, and conspiracies

• A permanent storytelling platform that grows from and with Tacoma

We invite you to step into the first chapter—before the mystery spreads.

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Community artists include John A., Norah S., Lilia W., Everett H., Aria M., Zayda W., Edmund M., Noelle Wilson, Darrion, Zara, Zoe, Herschel, Derston, Ben B., Korben B., Olivia C., Elizabeth C., Alexander C., Briana, Nick, Collin, Daquan S., Nevaeh C., Koryu R., Sarah M., Hannah K., Torie B., Arianna B., and Elnaz S.