Niñalanida Skycoaster is a multimedia experience by LIZN’BOW where participants embark on a VR rollercoaster ride based on the artists’ Niñalandia Mixed Reality Multiverse, a queer-futurist post-apocalyptic version of Miami which brings together ideas from their nearly decade long collaboration. 

Liz and Bow’s personal car, a 2006 Buick Rendezvous custom-wrapped in a hyper-maximalist digital collage becomes the participants roller coaster cart. Once inside they are transported into a virtual theme park experience. The immersive gallery installation also features projected animations and a sound score, creating an environment where physical and digital realms unite.

Visitors zoom past iconic elements from Niñalandia, such as a jet-ski unicorn cow, a mountain of burning money, and giant leche jugs, all submerged halfway underwater and set against neon rainbows in undulating pink and purple skies. By presenting queer-coded imagery through nostalgic digital aesthetics reminiscent of early-internet games like RollerCoaster Tycoon and Mario Kart, Niñalanida Skycoaster encourages expansive approaches to familiar forms of entertainment, promoting a more inclusive worldview. 

With the support of Locust Projects, Niñalanida Skycoaster aligns with contemporary trends in art and technology that prioritize interactivity and accessibility. This project is not just a display but a platform for discourse, challenging traditional exhibition norms and inviting conversation within the vibrant context of Miami-inspired iconography. 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Liz Ferrer and Bow Ty’s work spans various mediums including digital art, tech, sculpture, music, video, and performance art. Through a queer and comedic lens, their work together has been building a reputation for critiquing American and Latin pop. Their most recent projects together are femme reggaeton band Niña and new media collaborative LIZN’BOW.

Niña is a feminist reggaeton duo featuring Liz and Bow, they started this body of work to bring diverse voices to the traditionally male genre of reggaeton. LIZN’BOW is a new media body of work in which they use media technology, digital tools, and community building exercises as vehicles to visualize, play, and explore different social and creative possibilities.

Liz’s and Bow’s work has been featured at MOCA North Miami, Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, The Bass Museum, Young at Art Museum, David Castillo Gallery, Mana Contemporary, Squeaky Wheel, Borscht Film Festival, Eternal Family TV, The Miami Herald, iii Points Festival, Wassaic Projects, Cunsthaus, The Koubek Center, Davey Fest, Museum of Modern Art Santo Domingo, Index Performance Art Festival Santo Domingo and Miami, Albright Knox Center Buffalo, Burchfield Penney Art Center, and The Art Institute of Chicago.

Liz and Bow are recipients of a Creative Capital Wild Futures Award, NEFA Development & Touring Grant, Knights Art Challenge from the Knight Foundation, Franklin Furnace Award, PAM CUT Labs Fellowship, Locust Projects WaveMaker, Oolite Arts Ellies Award 2019 and 2022, LMCC Creative Engagement, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Sundance Short Film Miami Intensive Fellow, City Arts Corps Grant New York, and a Borscht Film Festival Commission.

Liz and Bow have been awarded residencies and fellowships at Macdowell, Headlands, and Ucross for 2024. They have attended Collar Works Elizabeth Murray Residency, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Knight Sundance Short Film Miami Intensive, Caldera Arts Residency, Squeaky Wheel, Mana Contemporary Studio Residency, En Residencia, Tempus Projects, ACRE, La Sierra de Santa Marta Residency in Colombia, and former Miami nonprofit, Cannonball.

Niñalandia Skycoaster was a "Curator's Pick" selected by Executive Director Lorie Mertes drawn from the artists' applications to open calls in 2023 and 2024 for both the Digital Commission and Project Room.

LIZN’BOW is presented as part of Knight Digital Commissions.