Lynn Wyatt, Kam Franklin, Brian Ching Help Houston's New Virtual Reality Experience Blast Off

Daniel Ortiz
Lynn Wyatt, Kam Franklin, Brian Ching Help Houston's New Virtual Reality Experience Blast Off

Mara Haaksman, James Inglis, Kam Franklin, Ryan Ramirez

SILVER STREET STUDIOS has arguably never been so silver, as hundreds of guests (many clad in “space-chic” attire) turned out to celebrate the launch of The Infinite, an outer-space-themed multi-sensory installation that landed in H-Town in late December.


A blue carpet led partygoers from the entrance to the bar, naturally, before they could virtually climb aboard the International Space Station. (True Anomaly Brewery poured craft beers, while Gentle Ben Vodka shook up the evening’s signature cocktail, dubbed the Space Rodeo.) Throughout the 60-minute experience, participants can explore the ISS and interact with art, sound, lights and even scents, all while immersing themselves in 360-degree virtual-reality footage shot aboard and outside of the ISS.

Among those in attendance were astronauts, NASA officials, artists and musicians, city leaders and familiar philanthropic faces: Lynn Wyatt, Kam Franklin, Brian Ching, Jon Deal, David Gow and Ursaline Hamilton were all spotted on The Infinite journey.

The 12,500-square-foot exhibition, open through Feb. 20, is an extension of the Emmy-winning interactive series Space Explorers: The ISS Experience, a multiplatform production filmed by and documenting the lives of astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Christina Koch and Anne McClain, resident flight engineers who appear in the series, generously shared their stories and chatted with guests throughout the evening.

Serafina Lalany, Alex De la Fuente

Brian Ching, Lindsay Yates

Michael Duckworth

Ceron

Matthew Moncivais, Robert Koch

CoCo Dominguez, Miya Shay

Mark Sullivan, Ursaline Hamilton

Davis Sheffield, Gabi Schlegel

Lynn Wyatt

Derrick Shore, Brandon Bourque

Felix Lajeunesse, Stephane Rituit, Phoebe Greenberg

George and Michelle Leal Farrah

Christina Koch, Anne McClain

Parties

Actor Alan Brincks gets his makeup done for 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.'

BEGINNING AUG. 1 THROUGH Aug. 10, the Houston Shakespeare Festival, the professional arm of the University of Houston’s School of Theater and Dance, takes the stage at Miller Outdoor Theatre for its 50th iteration. The milestone event includes productions of Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream, plus "Bard talks," all at no cost to viewers.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment

Dandelion Cafe owners Sarah Lieberman and J.C. Ricks with Mireya Villarreal of GMA, Chris Shepherd and Lindsey Brown of Southern Smoke Foundation (photo by Shane Dante Photography)

THE SOUTHERN SMOKE Foundation, established by chef Chris Shepherd, has only been around for seven years — but that's long enough to have helped hospitality workers through hurricanes, freezes, a pandemic, and countless other personal situations requiring emergency relief.

Keep Reading Show less
Food