The term bitter-sweet has both positive and negative connotations, relying on the specific object or concept being referred to. Take sugar or candy for example, so attractive, tempting and delicious; while on the other hand, sugar will slowly eat you from the inside out. Now, we all get the occasional sweet tooth and there is surely nothing wrong with that, but giving in to those temptations too regularly can pose threats to your well-being. The team at Spectra Art Space has created an immersive experience that literally takes the idea of bitter-sweet and turned it into a series of installations and narratives that are weaved throughout the gallery. “Spookadelia” is in its second installment, which follows the narrative of the Sugar Plum Scary, holding its grand opening of the showcase on December 14th and running through Valentine’s Day. If you are a fan of fantasy and want a chance to experience it being brought to life, then you do not want to miss this exhibition.

Back in October this year, Spectra Art Space created Spookadelia 1, which gave birth to the Spectra Spectre. The Spectre, is a spirit who engulfs the narrative created by the artists, meant to guide visitors through the different spooky installations that were inspired by the halloween season. Spookadelia 1 was a huge success, it brought Denver’s community together and gave a handful of the cities blooming artists a chance to show what they’re made of. In between the two series, the artists only had two weeks to build everything for the next show. Every installation was built by local artists in Denver, including Lexie Lund & The PussayHaus/PH Balance collective who built Natura Obscura, DAS who will be working with Denver Meow Wolf, and the Spectra Team who created installations for the UMS Odyssey stage this year including the Far Out Factory Photobooth.

Artists worked tirelessly over the two weeks, getting up before sunrise and leaving after sunset. Hours of labor were put in to hoist structures and assemble intricate configurations. While there were many artists working on one part or another, bringing it all together was a huge effort of collaboration between everyone involved. The narrative of Spookadelia was created as a fun way to give the show in-depth characteristics and a deeper sense of substance. The setting paired with the narrative is a very unique incorporation by the team, allowing visitors to feel more connected to the art, as well as the story that goes with it.

I spoke with Lexie Lund and Sadie Young about their intentions when writing the narrative and how they would use it to convey a distinct interpretation of the exhibit. As you enter the first room, you are transported into a new realm; a frozen purgatory that you never want to leave, which they have named snowglobe. This room is meant to be a profound transition from the outside world, cleansing one’s palette and portraying an intimate winter wonderland experience. Stepping out of the snowglobe, you find yourself thrust into a portal that will take you into the heart of Spectre’s world. In other words, the portal is more along the lines of a candy tornado and it will plop you right at the doorstep of the Sugar Plum Scary.

The Sugar Plum Scary is a big focus of Spookadelia 2, she is an entity conjured by the Spectra Spectre, as he is the overseer of the entire realm. The next two rooms give visitors a chance to see the inside of the Sugar Plum Scary’s lair, taking you into the living room and bedroom. Both rooms give off strong whiffs of positive female energy, innocence, and mischievousness. These rooms are indicative of the character’s qualities and add to the emotional responses that are evoked from everyone who makes their way through. It is easier to relate to concepts, art, people or made up characters when there is an aspect people can connect to, especially if it is tangible and interactive. As you leave the Sugar Plum Scary’s home, you make your way outside where it feels, yet again, as if you have stepped into a completely different dimension. The crystal cave of wonder waits for unsuspecting visitors to wander into its midst, but be careful because some who enter never make it back out again. Crystals and candy may entice you, but a creature lurks in the dark, guarding the sugar with his life.

If you successfully make it out of the cave, a sweet surprise awaits you inside the life size gingerbread house. At first glance, it reminded me of the witch’s cottage that lured in Hansel and Gretel. While you won’t find any witch’s inside, the house is covered in bright colors, gumdrops, cakes and incitements of all kinds. If you don’t run into the Sugar Plum Scary while hanging out in the gingerbread house, you might just permanently satiate your candy cravings. However, there’s still one more stop on the Spookadelia tour; the path twists and turns, leading you deep into the crone throne forests. Once at the throne, you are granted the gift of salvation by the Spectra Spectre and the Sugar Plum Scary...so you better not mess it up. The idea, as it was explained to me by Lexie, is to give people a whimsical setting that may inspire introspective consideration as to the way we treat the world around us. Candy is ultimately a metaphor for people’s constant temptations and bad habits. The good news is that we always have enough free will to make a choice that either leads us to salvation, or serves us our just desserts by ensnaring us in an underworld of our own desires.

I was truly amazed by how elaborate and detailed each piece in the exhibit is, especially taking note of the fact that everything was made by the artists, by hand. To pull something like this off takes imagination, creativity, ingenuity, dedication, and hopefully a little bit of the good kind of crazy. This spooky sweet spectacle deserves a “must-see” rating and we encourage you and the entire family to swing by before the immersive experience is gone. Tickets and info can be found here.

A Spooky Candy Land Christmas Awaits at Spectra Art Space