A surreal fusion of retro gaming, optical illusion, and carnival mischief.
ROLL: Communications & Storytelling Lead
OVERVIEW
The Wonderlust Arcade was a full-scale forced-perspective arcade installation built by the Sol Diego crew for Burning Man and YouTopia. From the outside, it looked deceptively normal—but inside, the shrinking room illusion made players appear to grow as they moved deeper into the space.
Arcade classics like Pong, Frogger, and Space Invaders were reimagined with tongue-in-cheek burner themes—shooting sparkle ponies, dodging dreadlocked bros, and laughing at pixelated in-jokes. Oversized analog games like Battleship and Connect Four added a tactile element to the immersive play.
The installation featured Sol Diego’s signature laser-cut design aesthetic and was led by veteran builder David Timms. Contributions supported everything from a homemade pipe organ to a love testing machine—ensuring that absurdity and nostalgia coexisted in one delightfully weird pixelated space.