‘Cluster’ lights up your life at Museum Fiasco at Area15

Thus far, the unofficial record for the amount of time a person visits Museum Fiasco at Area15 is 60 minutes. The museum’s manager holds that record.

Brian “Paco” Alvarez has spent that much time, in a single visit, in the development of the museum and it’s premiere installation, “Cluster.” Located on the entertainment fortress’s second floor, Museum Fiasco opened to the public Friday as the state’s first German Kunsthalle model, which is a non-collection-based museum hosting rotating exhibits (the space is open 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 4 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays; admission is $25 for adults, $15 for children 12 and under, $20 for locals and military).

Alvarez says “Cluster,” which was curated by Corner Bar Management founder Ryan Doherty, should be in place for about a year. The installation is a celebration of pulsating LED pillars flashing to a thunderous soundscape.

The presentation in the 5,000-square-foot gallery plays out in two sets. “Cluster,” a collection of multicolored displays, is five cycles of 12 minutes apiece, with 10-second breaks between. “Train,” which sounds and feels like a rumbling, incoming steam locomotive is five cycles of nine minutes apiece, also with 10 seconds between sets.

Visitors can arrive and leave anytime in the rotations. The project was conceived by Playmodes studio, which specializes in immersive installations, projection mapping, lighting for buildings, digital scenes, audiovisual instruments and sound design.

Though “Cluster” brings to mind nightclub rave scenes, Alvarez is talking of bringing field trips of schoolkids into the space. Even those whose eyesight is compromised can feel this art installation.

“The people who put this together are rock stars,” says Alvarez, who was hired about a month ago, just as “Cluster” was nearing completion. “This wasn’t going to open until it was flawless. The sound was perfect, the vibrations, the smoke and haze that you see were all perfect. A lot of things in Las Vegas open, but they’re not quite there yet. This is ready to be open.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.