NSFW: The Lost Ball brings an otherworldly festival experience to St. Petersburg, FL for an immersive, sold out party at Paper Crane
Infamously known for their immersive playgrounds at festivals like Suwannee Hulaween and Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival, Lost Creations took us down the rabbit hole once again Friday night for their very own, first ever riveting celebration of music & art with bizarre performances and entertainers full of shenanigans. Hosted by Paper Crane in the heart of St. Pete’s blooming arts district, The Lost Ball sold out the performance arts & event venue May 4th having only announced it 2 weeks prior. With an entirely local lineup of musicians like Fr33dback, Geri X, Mountain Holler, J.T. Brown, and special performances by Aerial Dragons, Adriana Sparkle, Rob “Bearsnake” & friends, Lost Creations put on an eclectic night of sights & sounds only to be experienced by those who knew to reserve their tickets quickly for a special evening not to be missed.
Upon arrival, the first and only preview you get before entering the madness awaiting is a single mahogany wardrobe, labeled “Captain’s Quarters,” with its doors wide open and obscured by a jet black curtain to where u can only guess leads into Narnia. Once taking a step through the wardrobe, you maneuver through a darkened, narrow hallway while pushing garments aside and out of the way until you stumble upon the other side. A mountain of TVs, stereo speakers, typewriters, turntables, & other retro communication/entertainment technology is revealed as one of the main stages for electronic multi-instrumentalists like Fr33dback, Blestian, & Rogerthomas of Pleasures. Still in the same space you’ll find pieces of art from local St. Pete artists, a secret sanctuary room full of flowers, bones, candles, & animal skulls, as well as, silk hanging from the ceiling in front of an infinity wall lit by psychedelic hues where you’d find the Aerial Dragons performing aerial yoga entertainment & enchanting fire dancing before even stepping into the other half of the Lost Ball.
There’s a certain Alice in Wonderland / Tim Burtonesque feeling surrounding the setting of anything Lost Creations designs that you just can’t walk away from once falling into their world. Perhaps it’s the welcomingly whimsical personalities of the hosts or the surreal set designs of their mad hatters-style tea lounge with hoodless lamps and upside down tables full of antique victorian silver hanging from the ceiling above you. The second main stage designed out of some monochromatic madness with black and white sheared strips of fabric as the backdrop, striped umbrellas, and spiderwebs of ropes stretched across the ceiling above hosted even more performances from indie-folk/groove-rock musicians like Mountain Holler and Geri X, along with special entertainment from the fabulous Adriana Sparkle & friends.
Further exploration into the Lost Ball would have you finding mini-stages tucked away in a corner of couches, numerous clocks covering the walls, mirrors facing each other for you to walk passed infinite self reflections, and even a small Harry Potter sized room full of pillows inviting you in to relax and write down notes to leave for somebody in the dozens of bottles organized on the walls under a staircase that only led to even more adventures to get lost in. Upstairs unlocked more alluring views to relax & enjoy the Lost Ball. Balconies where performance artists like Rob “Bearsnake” & Amanda “Knotinsane” would demonstrate some of their Kinbaku - the beauty of tight binding - performance art and reel you in to an intimate world power & trust between two artists. More mysteriously long, dark hallways with branches, bones, and narrow windows to view the downstairs entertainment would lead you to other Lost characters like poets & mediums waiting for you to share intimate, deep hidden moments.
What once started off as a fun party idea to bring the wonderful festival vibes to a local community of artists & musicians, this Florida-based production company specializing in immersive-experiential environments, art installations, and live productions has now become Lost Creations, LLC. Up next for the lost boys & girls is California’s Lightning in a Bottle Festival this memorial weekend, but make sure not to miss their next upcoming announcements & installations to see what weirdness ensues in the land of the lost.
Follow Lost Creations at: their Website, Facebook, and Instagram
Coverage by Javi Ortiz (@zitrovision)
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