02 Aug Gaiascope Makes Colorado Debut in Mountain Village, Opens 8/26!
Following its presentation during the 2026 World Cup in downtown San José, multidisciplinary artist Brooke Einbender brings Gaiascope to Mountain Village for its Colorado debut. On view August 26 through October 23, 2026 at Heritage Plaza.
Installation is presented by the Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association (TMVOA) in partnership with Telluride Arts.
For more go to www.telluridearts.org/gaiascope
To contact Brooke, go to Brooke@mindbenderstudio.com or www.mindbender-art.com
GAIASCOPE IN DTSJ, courtesy the artist.
For Einbender, founder of Mindbender Studio, the exhibition marks a full-circle moment. After moving to Telluride in 2018, a Telluride Arts grant helped her purchase her first virtual reality headset and begin exploring immersive art. Eight years later, Einbender returns with Gaiascope, her largest immersive public artwork to date.
“Telluride changed the trajectory of my artistic practice,” says Einbender. “This community has supported my work in so many meaningful ways over the years—from grants and exhibition opportunities to donating reclaimed doors for The Unknown Zone series and opening incredible off-grid spaces for artist residencies. Every opportunity helped shape the artist I am today.
“Bringing Gaiascope home feels meaningful because its roots were planted here. I hope it’s an artwork that brings people together through our shared love of this place. It’s unlike anything that’s been exhibited here before, and I hope it’s a milestone moment for immersive public art in Mountain Village that opens the door for even more ambitious public art experiences in the future.”
Nightview, Gaiascope.
People experiencing Gaiascope, Canal Convergence.
Mindbender Studio, Gaiascope. Credit, David Blakeman.
Each Every
Every presentation of Gaiascope is reimagined through an entirely new body of site-specific video art inspired by the surrounding landscape. For Mountain Village, the visuals draw from the San Juan Mountains, blending imagery of alpine wildflowers, waterfalls, mushrooms, changing seasons, and aerial landscapes with her original virtual reality artwork.
As the sun begins to set, Gaiascope comes alive. Three suspended steel sculptures transform into mesmerizing kaleidoscopic worlds of light, video, and reflection. Visitors peer into the mirrored chambers and use interactive pedestals to change the color, pattern, and speed of the visuals. The more visitors engage, the more dynamic the artwork becomes, making every experience unique.
“From the World Cup to Heritage Plaza, Gaiascope reflects the caliber of experience TMVOA is committed to bringing to this community,” says Patrick Latcham, Chief Operating Officer of Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association. “It also broadens our investment in the arts beyond music, creating a unique new experience in Mountain Village.”
“Brooke Einbender is a true visionary and one of Telluride’s most exciting artists, creating work at the leading edge of immersive art and technology,” says Jessica Galbo, Executive Director of Telluride Arts. “There is nothing more rewarding than supporting an artist early in their journey and then watching them take risks, push boundaries, and create work beyond anything we could have imagined. Gaiascope doesn’t simply ask you to look at art, it invites you inside it. Brooke is reimagining how art, technology, landscape, and community can come together, and we are proud to help bring this extraordinary work back to our community for its Colorado debut.”
Located in the heart of Heritage Plaza, Gaiascope transforms one of Mountain Village’s central gathering places into an interactive destination for residents and visitors alike.
Free and open to the public, the installation offers a new way to experience the San Juan Mountains through art, technology, and play.
Exhibition Information:
Exhibition Dates: August 26 – October 23, 2026
Opening Night: Gaiascope at Golden Hour, Wednesday, August 26 | 7:00–10:00 PM
Celebrate the opening of Gaiascope with artist Brooke Einbender at Heritage Plaza in Mountain Village. Enjoy live music and drinks, meet the artist, and be among the first to experience Gaiascope.
As the sun sets over the San Juan Mountains, Gaiascope comes alive through light, video, reflection, and its interactive pedestals, transforming Heritage Plaza into an immersive nighttime art experience for all ages.
Free and open to the public, the celebration invites residents and visitors to gather, explore the artwork, and celebrate its Colorado debut.
About the Artist
Brooke Einbender, known as Mindbender, is a visionary artist creating immersive installations that serve as kaleidoscopic portals into otherworldly dimensions. Her work explores thresholds that invite viewers to step beyond the familiar and experience new states of perception. Einbender fuses creativity and innovation to transform public spaces into sensory-rich environments.
After moving to Telluride, Colorado, in 2018, Einbender expanded her practice into immersive art. She has since created permanent and temporary installations throughout the region, including projects for Mountain Village, the Telluride Public Library, Telluride Transfer Warehouse, CampV, Silver Bell Mine, Original Thinkers Festival, and regional galleries.
Her work has expanded nationally through permanent architectural installations and large-scale public art commissions, including Gaiascope, which debuted at Scottsdale Arts’ Canal Convergence in 2024 and was later commissioned by the City of San José for its 2026 World Cup programming.
Her permanent elevator installations are featured at Arlo Hotels in New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Miami.
Einbender earned her B.A. in Studio Art from Wake Forest University, where she received the Presidential Scholarship in Visual Arts.
Her TEDx talk, “Life as Art: Opening Doors into the Unknown,” explores the idea that life is a series of doorways – and that stepping into the unknown is where transformation begins
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