Clinically, it can include people who experience colours when listening to music, or who associate shapes with certain scents. Plenty of video games have sought to replicate the synesthetic experience, while an increasing number of immersive experiences offer their own takes on synesthesia. Toronto’s Arcadia Earth, open now on Front Street West near the Stackt Market, is the latest venue for would-be synesthetes in the city. And it’s a pretty nifty one at that.

A series of themed rooms – the Borg-like e-waste room (replete with Game of Thrones-style killer chair), the marine conservation-themed “bycatch” room, and others – shepherd Arcadia visitors on an environmentally conscious journey through various earthbound environments.

Consciously seeking to both educate and entertain, Arcadia Earth is a guided journey, replete with augmented reality app (they’ll lend you a tablet if you don’t feel like downloading it on your phone) that “summons” digital objects into the real-world space.

Our favourite room was  the aquatic-themed room consisting of a series of hanging rope nets. At various places on the floor, holding your camera up to a scannable symbol conjures a moving, animated model of an undersea creature, which proceeds to swim through the room. It’s the same basic tech that made Pokémon GO such a splash all those years ago, but here put to more impressive use in a purpose-built environment. The combination of Augmented Reality video with real-world props makes all the difference.

We are also fans of the (seemingly temporary) WWF-themed conservation space, where hopping on certain points on the floor throws you into a digital recreation of a natural environment (both the floor and ceiling are made up of ultra-HD screens). Within moments you can travel from deep into an old growth forest out onto on a snowy, polar bear-friendly Arctic plain, with narration explaining WWF conservation efforts aimed at preserving these incredible environments. Though educational in nature, Arcadia is never boring, and in fact the educational aspects are integral to the thrill of experience which Arcadia delivers on.

Credit especially to the diverse collective of artists who have contributed to Arcadia, including Samuelle Green (behind the papercraft “beehive” cave), Von Wong (whose E-Waste Generator, made up of over 5,000 lbs of electronic waste, is the “Borg” room I mentioned earlier), and Pamela Moulton (who collected the “ghost” fishing gear that makes up the aquatic-themed room).

Arcadia Earth is far from the first immersive experience in this city, and while we might love our escape rooms and Star Trek simulators, we appreciate Arcadia‘s commitment to environmentalism and its collaboration with artists.

Even in a sea of dazzling, tech-heavy venues, it stands out as something designed with care, and with a philosophy that goes beyond pure entertainment. With its latest space – a narrow corridor resembling the “shark tunnel” at Ripley’s, but surrounded by screens instead of windows – there’s never been a better time to check Arcadia out.

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For tickets and more on the Arcadia Earth experience, click here.

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Craig Perlmutter, President of Arcadia Earth Toronto, shared with the Toronto Guardian what inspired him to create Arcadia Earth Toronto, merging art and environmental protection to alchemize the scenery into magnificent moments. “Arcadia Earth Toronto was created after a happenstance visit I made to the exhibit in NYC just over four years ago,” says Craig Perlmutter. “I was in the city to watch the Maple Leafs play at Madison Square Garden, and I stumbled upon the Arcadia Earth exhibit on Broadway. I was drawn to the large-scale art and technology which had great entertainment value, but surprisingly, also greatly inspired me. Each room has environmentally focused topics and one room, in particular, created an unforgettable moment for me regarding single-use plastic bags and a newfound motivation to live more sustainably with a just a few solid, digestible lifestyle changes.”

Imagine walking into an Arcadia Earth exhibit, where your connection with the planet transforms. You experience a 17,000-square-foot multi-sensory journey that immerses guests in the heart of worldwide challenges such as plastic waste, biodiversity loss, and overfishing. A newly added exhibit, the LED Tunnel, offers guests the opportunity to transport themselves through different habitats as they explore tranquil lakes, exalted oceans, and abundant forests. Through curved LED screens depicting various ecosystems, guests gain insights into how creatures and species cope with climate change and uncover ways to protect these habitats and support the survival of the species for a more sustainable future.

Perlmutter shares his hope to create eventful experiences for hundreds of thousands of attendees who can make a significant difference for our planet. “Arcadia Earth NYC was born a few years earlier by Valentino Vettori, an accomplished designer and artist,” he says. “Once we met, we shared a clear vision of how art can bring people together while also inspiring them to help protect and restore our planet and its resources. Our goal for the Toronto exhibit is to create an entertaining and exciting educational space on climate change that isn’t overwhelming but rather awe-inspiring.”

Striving to impact attendees’ awareness and behaviour, Craig Perlmutter shares more about the reception and social media buzz surrounding Arcadia Earth in downtown Toronto. “Since opening in December 2023, Arcadia Earth has welcomed over 70,000 visitors who leave the exhibit with new knowledge about our planet and feel inspired to take action towards a greener future,” he says. “People are drawn to Arcadia Earth for the entertainment value and the incredible visuals, but what they leave with is a newfound inspiration to live a more sustainable life with a few tangible, lifestyle changes we’re trying to instil. It’s been amazing to see people of all ages engaging with the exhibit and leaving feeling inspired and activated to make these positive changes.”

He notes that Arcadia Earth Toronto has not only engaged individuals and families but has also captivated the attention of business leaders from several industries. These leaders are bringing their employees and customers for group visits and special events to support spreading their messages about creating a better world.

“One of our projection mapping rooms was created through a partnership with WWF-Canada to showcase Regenerate Canada, the organization’s 10-year plan to expand habitats, reduce carbon emissions, lower industrial impacts and, as a result, reverse wildlife loss and fight climate change. We’re proud to donate $2 to WWF-Canada from every individual ticket sold,” says Perlmutter.

Located at The Well, Arcadia Earth offers an intimately distinctive exploration of the impact of human influence on the environment. Stay enlightened through educational commentary about being part of the solution for a healthier world while witnessing the futuristic lens of augmented and virtual reality. Visit their website to learn more about how you can purchase a ticket and experience the wonders of these innovative art exhibits.

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Toronto dorks seem to agree, judging by the rousing welcome given to original Scream stars Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, Jamie Kennedy, and Guelph’s own Neve Campbell, during their appearance at last week’s Expo. Joining them in the beloved celebrity category were Vancouver’s Hayden “Anakin” Christensen and key cast members of Marvel’s Daredevil, including Charlie Cox, Vincent “Full Metal Jacket” D’Onofrio, and Jon Bernthal. While the full list of superstars is too long to go through here, shoutouts too to Jason Lee (after most of the rest of Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse showed up last year), Ralph Macchio, and none other than Sharon and Bram (RIP Lois, who passed away in 2015).

We’re hard-pressed to say which parts of Fan Expo we love more: the amazing vendors, the celebrity encounters, or the opportunity to chat with (and score autographs from) famed comic book artists.

Comic nerds had no shortage of options to choose from this year, including rare appearances from legendary comic creators Frank Miller, Jim Shooter, and Joe Quesada, and, closer to home, returning Canunck favourites including Richard Comely (creator of Captain Canuck), Steve McNiven (artist on Marvel’s Civil War), and perennial ‘con guest and Toronto artist Craig Yeung of Runaways fame. We’ve also established something of a pattern of dropping in on beloved Archie Comics artist/writer Dan Parent, creator of Kevin Keller. Across years of conventions, Parent has proven himself to be a decent, amiable guest, happy to chat with fans for whom his work has meant a great deal, particularly in the queer community.

While there were plenty of fun celebrity guests this year, but it was nice to see local boy Christensen (he attended Unionville High School) welcomed with some of the retrospective admiration he deserves, after too long as a sand-based meme. Christensen was hardly the worst part of the much-maligned prequel trilogy, and his performances elsewhere – Shattered Glass is a standout – reveal an actor of more complexity than George Lucas’s leaden dialogue and direction once suggested. With rumours of an Anakin return to the growing Disney+ Star Warsverse, we are excited to see him back on the big screen soon.

Speaking of… Toronto’s division of the 501st Legion – a Star Wars fan/charitable organization which specializes in screen-accurate costume and replicas – once again drew in awestruck crowds who queued up for photo ops with their incredible renditions of Jabba the Hutt (replete with Salacious Crumb by his tail), R2-D2, and a Return of the Jedi speeder bike. (Read more about the 501st and their charitable endeavours here.)

And then there was all the rest, beginning with the local vendors – toy stores, comic shops, game shops, cosplay guilds – and continuing on through the incredible Artist Alley, where we always wind up spending way more than intended on crochet, beadwork, paintings, t-shirts, dioramas, and a million other geek things we didn’t know we needed until we saw them.

Retrokid alone, the licensed retailer for all sorts of deeply nostalgic wear like Polkaroo t-shirts and Degrassi varsity hoodies, nearly bankrupted us last year.

While we have mixed feelings on the increasing corporatization of geek culture, the presence of some media behemoths like Paramount+ (with their Star Trek and Ninja Turtles-themed booth), Citizen (with their stellar Marvel and Star Wars-brand watches), and Sony/PlayStation (of which we are huge fans) offered welcome opportunity to play around in themed media environments.

Looking ahead, we are counting down the days until next year’s Fan Expo and the inevitable reunion of the all-Canadian cast of the original X-Men cartoon, recently renewed for a seventh season after a small gap of twenty-six years. Talk about legacyquels!

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For all things Fan Expo and the upcoming Toronto Comicon (March 2024), click here.

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Less than a year after the Hobbits took Toronto, the Comicon 2023 big draw was none other than Andy “Gollum” / “Caesar” / “King Kong” Serkis himself.

The incredibly genial Serkis – who genre fans recently encountered as Alfred to Robert Pattinson’s The Batman – was the highlight of a somewhat quieter affair compared to last August’s Fan Expo.

That’s to be expected though: Comicon, which only takes up one building to Fan Expo‘s two, also comes at a chilly enough season that cosplayers think twice before lugging around sci-fi/fantasy gear on top of their winter jackets and scarves. Not that there weren’t some mind-bogglingly fantastic costumes on display: as seen in the photos below, this year’s Comicon offered a welcome reminder that us Canucks can nerd out just as well as anyone.

First, there’s the dozens of GTA-based collectibles shops, their booths lined with Silver Age comics and classic PlayStation games and old X-Men action figures, making for a veritable wealth of nostalgia, as if several 1990s shopping malls reopened at once. Even more exciting are the local artists and artisans, purveyors of crocheted Grogus and false elf ears and intricately detailed Star Trek jewelry. But make no mistake: even if you can’t tell your Quendi from your Ferengi, there was more than enough to pique the curiosity of even the most casual (non-geek) attendee.

We’re especially fans of award-winning Toronto-based collage artist Clever Clippings, who combines beloved pop culture characters with lovingly rendered nature illustrations, resulting in weird, beautiful oddities like this art nouveau Sailor Moon. We also love the adorably prickly crochet succulents of local mother-daughter business Anna’s Gardens.

Some of the best parts of Comicon are simply hanging around, chatting with these legends as they distractedly sketch out a Wolverine or Superman a thousand times better than anything you or I could ever draw. And for those who wanted to learn more about their craft – or simply hear anecdotes from decades in the business – there were dedicated panels/Q&As with some of the biggest names. That was true as well for perhaps the hottest on-screen heroes of the day, with roughly half the cast of The Boys – Billy Butcher, A-Train, and Black Noir among them – making appearances over the course of the weekend.

May the force be with you, live long and prosper, and keep guarding those rings in your pocketseses.

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For all things Fan Expo, click here.

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