No, this is not a section for selling chairs.
The Blue Armchair is dedicated to new ideas and concepts for themed entertainment, including theme parks, museums and more. Ultimately, we're trying to explore how fusing technology, architecture and storytelling can create immersive experiences that transcend space, time and emotions.
When you sit back on a comfy armchair and let your imagination soar to the unlimited reach of the blue skies, everything is possible. The name Blue Armchair comes from the playful amalgamation of 'blue-sky process' and 'armchair imagineering', both of which came from the early days of Disneyland and the dawn of the theme park industry. The Blue-sky process refers to the stage at which imagineers come up with wild and almost impossible ideas for the parks, and the blue sky is the only limitation to their imagination. Armchair imagineering refers to thought experiments by theme park fans & enthusiasts where they pretend they were in control of the parks and that money was no object.
This is part II of two-part series on The Imperial Railway. In this section, we will delve into the details of the ride experience. Let's begin the experience from the pre-show and queueing area. While the guests queue, they will snake through a victorian waiting room. Posters, artefacts and notice boards around the room are meticulously selected to tell the story of The Imperial Railway Company. The company (used to) run train services from the Imperial Central Station in luxurious trains that promise first-class quality services. I've drawn up a sample poster for the Imperial Railway Company, designed with reference to some of the early posters from Metropolitan Railway, London (1863).
The Imperial Railway is a unique attraction concept that tells the story of an unfolding drama surrounding a mysterious suitcase on an unusual train service. Ultimately, it is a combination of a participatory theatre and a high-tech motion simulator train ride set in a rustic abandoned eclectic train station.
This is part three, and the final installment of an ongoing series discussing the proposed Lava Field themed area. In the last section, we talked about the park's masterplan and the area's central architecture, the Geothermal Power Plant. In this article, we will explore the ride and attractions offered in Lava Field.
This is part two of an ongoing series discussing the proposed Lava Field themed area. In the previous article, we explored the premise and inspirations for the Lava Field, which will lead to this article's concrete discussion of the themed area's master planning, and the park's central beacon: The Lava Field Geothermal Power Plant.
Lava Field is a 10 acres themed area concept that explores mankind's fear, awe and curiosity for volcanoes. Through rich architecture, authentic landscapes and immersive storytelling, this proposed area features two E-ticket rides, an amphitheatre and tells a story that centres around a newly constructed geothermal power plant situated in an exquisite, but geologically active landscape.
This is the second and last section on Emperor's Gate. Previously, we've discussed about the deep connection between Baroque architecture and theme park on an ideological level. Now, let's take a closer look at the design of Emperor's Gate in detail and how the various details were inspired.
Emperor's Gate is a facade concept for a mansion-type attraction at a theme park. This concept primarily explores the deep connection between baroque-style architecture and themepark place making, and ultimately how attraction architecture can create drama, anticipation and illusion.
This post is a digression of the original concept arts I usually present here on The Blue Armchair. Instead, it is a analysis of one of the most iconic, and certainly my favourite, themed roller coaster in the world: Space Mountain.
Toy Story Freight Frenzy is an attraction concept based on the wildly popular Toy Story Mania ride at Disney parks around the world. This twist to the beloved ride of Toy Story Mania, a 4D shooting arcade game, keeps the ride mechanism intact, but augments the experience with more physically thrilling elements and imparts a new storyline.
Gaping Gorge is a proposed themed land that places guests into a newly uncovered cave system where they can marvel at subterranean formations, join spelunking expeditions and descend into the deepest caverns through the winding ravines.