Elsewhere at the Madcap Motel: An Immersive Playground Opens in the Arts District

Downtown Los Angeles is a playground unto itself, so it’s no surprise that immersive and interactive experiences have flocked to the neighborhood.

The latest is titled “Elsewhere at the Madcap Motel”, created by Paige Solomon, an artist who cut her teeth making immersive content for brands such as Netflix, Sony and UBER.

This is Solomon’s second immersive experience. In 2018 she created Dream Machine in Brooklyn, in Instagram museum full of artsy rooms meant to evoke a dreamlike state of wonder.

She decided to venture out to Los Angeles to create her next project, taking what she had learned from Dream Machine and expanding upon it, this time crafting an exhibition with a narrative and a through line.

Heavily inspired by The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe series of books, as well as the films Interstellar, Beetlejuice and Big Fish, Solomon wanted to craft something with a ‘60s vibe. She came upon the idea of a motel lost in time in which things look normal on the surface, but once you start opening doors it expands into otherworldly portals.

The story of the Madcap Motel is that the hotel was built in 1946 to host the influx of visitors that were coming to Los Angeles. As the neighborhood changed, and the city began expanding westward towards the ocean, the motel was shuttered in 1966 and the owner disappeared into thin air. The abandoned motel laid dormant for years, long forgotten as the Arts District built up around it. In the present day, the owner’s family started receiving postcards, signed by him, inviting them back into the Madcap Motel.

Thus begins the story of Downtown’s latest immersive attraction. You are invited to come and explore the Madcap Motel, preserved in all of its mid-century glory. But of course, nothing is as it seems.

“This is a magical place,” says Solomon. “We have a mixture of set design and actors and a bit of a ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ vibe in places. I’m very curious to see how people respond to the experience.”

DTLA provided a perfect backdrop for her project. “When I was downtown looking for locations, it almost felt like I was in Brooklyn again; it just felt right. Then we ended up finding this amazing property that's this old warehouse. I can't really explain it but when I walked out I knew that this was the property,” says Solomon.

For Solomon, the notion of “play” is what inspires her work. “From the ages of 6–7 you spend 90% of your day in a state of pretend,” she says. “From 7–11 it’s half that, and by the time you’re 12 you spend 0% of the day in pretend. This is a way to escape the reality of the day-to-day and go into a world where you don’t know what to expect.”

When visiting the Madcap Motel, Solomon wants you to expect the unexpected. The attraction opens on March 13th will be open to all, so children are welcome. Tickets must be purchased online.

“Elsewhere at the Madcap Motel” gives the Arts District a fun and exciting new attraction for guests to explore, experience and enter into another world.

madcapmotel.com | 940 East 4th Street

Written by Abel Horwitz | Photography by Madcap Motel LA, LLC