Scoop: VR, immersive art hub to replace Charlotte Pipe warehouse in Uptown

An industrial warehouse on the edge of Uptown will transform into a hub for immersive experiences called Blume Studios this fall, starting with a trip to outer space .

Why it matters: Charlotte and Blumenthal Arts are poised to become a national leader in immersive arts, building on the success of Immersive Van Gogh in 2021.

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"Space Explorers: The Infinite," a virtual reality experience set at the International Space Station, will kick off Blume Studios' programming in the former Charlotte Pipe and Foundry warehouse this September 20 to November 10.

• Tickets are on sale now for $45 for adults and $30 for children.

"We're a far cooler city than people will admit," Blumenthal CEO Tom Gabbard says of Charlotte. "I'm not saying that as a civic booster. I'm saying that because it's true."

Tom Gabbard inside of the Charlotte Pipe warehouse, which will soon become Blume Studios. Photo: Emma Way/Axios

The big picture: Blume Studios is an anchor of what will become Charlotte's Iron District , a 55.5-acre site bordering Uptown and South End that's currently home to Charlotte Pipe and Foundry .

• Blumenthal is leasing the warehouse from Charlotte Pipe, as the land is still for sale.
• Once a land sale is final and Charlotte Pipe finishes relocating to Stanly County, a new mixed-use district will emerge. There are dreams of restaurants, artist studios and shops, but nothing concrete yet.
• "There's a lot more to come," says Charlotte Pipe spokesperson Brad Muller.

The future home of Blume Studios. Photo: McKenzie Rankin/Axios

What to expect: Upon entering the 40,000-square-foot warehouse, visitors will grab a VR headset off a conveyor belt before "blasting off" to the International Space Station .

• The experience compiles over 200 hours of NASA footage to make you feel like you're really there.
• Produced by Felix & Paul Studios , the show allows guests to move about the ISS, listen to astronauts, learn about space, and even take a step outside the ISS and into the night sky.
• There will also be large-scale art installations around the immersive experience, like "Gaia," the 23-foot globe by Luke Jarram you may have seen hanging from the ceiling of Founders Hall in years past.
• Expect surprises from local artists over the show's run.

Related Axios guide: What to expect at Charlotte SHOUT! 2024

See what Earth looks like from the International Space Station. Photo courtesy Felix & Paul Studios and Blumenthal Arts Rendering of "The Infinite" floor plan. Courtesy of Blumenthal Arts

How it happened: The large-scale project has taken years of conversations among some of Charlotte's most powerful people .

• "The Harris' fingerprints are all over this," Gabbard says of Deborah and Johnny Harris, the legendary local real estate developer and president of Quail Hollow Club .
• The couple arranged a dinner at Quail Hollow in 2021 for Gabbard and his wife, Vicki, and Charlotte Pipe CEO Hooper Hardison and his wife, Lucy.
• It wasn't expressly a business dinner, but when Gabbard began talking about the success with Immersive Van Gogh and his hopes to grow into a permanent space, it planted a seed.
• "Hooper, what about that warehouse?" Johnny said during the dinner, Gabbard recalls.

Zoom out: "The Infinite" is just the beginning for the Charlotte Pipe warehouse. Gabbard and Bree Stallings , Blumenthal's director of artistic experiences, have years of immersive ideas to keep Charlotte locals coming back.

• It's not just about the pretty visuals folks saw with Van Gogh, Gabbard says. The new experiences will be fully interactive. "They don't want to just sit back and watch.
• "They want to be in it."

Find the people in your party with color-coded avators inside the VR space. Screenshot courtesy Felix & Paul Studios and Blumenthal Arts

The arts industry has a history of overspending, Gabbard says. Just look at the $2.3 billion Sphere arena in Las Vegas , for instance.

• Gabbard says you don't have to spend billions — or millions — to create something creative and cool, to create something that audiences love.
• He didn't give an exact figure but says it will cost significantly less than the $3-5 million he estimated when they were considering building a structure from scratch.

The bottom line: Just like Van Gogh, Blume Studios will feel a little scrappy, and Gabbard says that's intentional and representative of Charlotte's artistic community.

• "We're not stuck in the past," he says of Blumenthal Arts. "We're absolutely ready to embrace the new."

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