EXP Rosemont is scheduled to open in September 2025 as a new cultural hub in Rosemont, on the outskirts of Chicago, Illinois. Developed by PHI Studio in partnership with the Village of Rosemont, the venue will feature large-scale immersive experiences that blend art, technology, and storytelling.
The space will launch with two critically acclaimed works produced by French company Excurio, offering visitors the opportunity to engage with digital creativity in new and interactive ways.
Designed as a space where visitors can discover the connection between art, technology, and storytelling, EXP Rosemont reflects a rising interest in large-scale immersive destinations across the world.
To learn more about the vision behind EXP Rosemont, its collaborative development, and what visitors can expect when the doors open, blooloop speaks with Eric Albert, CEO of PHI Studio.
A decade of VR experience
PHI Studio is part of a larger organisation called PHI, which has been presenting contemporary art for almost 20 years. It began in Old Montreal with a private foundation established by Phoebe Greenberg, dedicated to showcasing contemporary artists from Canada and around the world.
“Over the years, we’ve presented exhibitions with artists such as Yayoi Kusama, among many others,” says Albert.
“Alongside the foundation, we opened another building in Old Montreal focused on digital art and immersive experiences. That venue has been active for nearly 15 years and gave us early expertise in presenting virtual reality works.” PHI now operates three distinct cultural spaces in Montreal, all located within a five-minute walk of one another
The company has been working with VR for over a decade. In 2020, the team collaborated with Felix & Paul Studios on Space Explorers: THE INFINITE.
“That project, developed through PHI Studio, became a launchpad for our large-scale, free-roaming VR work and led us to expand into distribution and presentation. At the time, very few organisations in North America were able to present these kinds of experiences, so we started opening our own venues.”
Pushing boundaries at PHI Studio
PHI Studio’s first commercial venue opened in Montreal’s Old Port, with the premiere of Space Explorers: THE INFINITE, welcoming over 115,000 visitors.
“We extended our lease for this venue and began presenting other works, many from Excurio, such as Horizon of Khufu, Life Chronicles, and Tonight with the Impressionists: Paris 1874. These projects have drawn hundreds of thousands of visitors, showing a strong public appetite for immersive art of this scale.
“That success has encouraged us to expand into new markets and create a steady pipeline of content.”
Within the larger PHI ecosystem, PHI Studio plays a dual role.
“On one side, our ticketed immersive experiences generate revenue that helps support PHI’s philanthropic activities in contemporary art. On the other, our creative and production work is focused on pushing boundaries, both technologically and artistically.”
For example, the recent project Blur, co-produced with Riverbed Theatre and Onassis Culture, blends live theatre with VR, using the passthrough capabilities of headsets to shift audiences between physical and virtual worlds.
“It quite literally blurs the line between reality and digital space,” says Albert. “That’s what PHI Studio does, exploring new ways to connect people with art through immersive and innovative experiences.”
EXP Rosemont
Explaining how the EXP Rosemont project came about, and why this particular location is ideal, Albert says:
“Among US markets, Chicago ranks very high for immersive experiences. Habo, a Montreal-based research firm, conducted a study of North American markets and placed Chicago in the top three in terms of potential and past success. It’s also one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country, so the audience base is significant.”
The opportunity came about through Invest Quebec, which actively supports Quebec companies in expanding internationally.
“They organised a delegation to the Chicago area, where we met representatives from Rosemont. The Village had plans to build a new, purpose-built venue for immersive experiences and was looking for a partner to operate it.”
Following those initial meetings, representatives from Chicago came to Montreal during Hub Montreal, and discussions continued.
“Out of that, a partnership was formed. The Village of Rosemont owns the building and constructed the venue, while PHI Studio has the mandate to programme and operate it, presenting a wide range of immersive experiences, including virtual reality.”
Education meets entertainment
EXP Rosemont will launch with two Excurio experiences. Visitors will be able to explore ancient Egypt through Horizon of Khufu, or travel back four and a half billion years with Life Chronicles, which traces life from the first microbes to today’s civilisation, and even a few hundred years into the future.
“We chose these works because they appeal to different audiences. Horizon of Khufu tends to attract an older demographic, while Life Chronicles resonates more with families and children.”
Both also have a strong educational dimension: “Horizon of Khufu was developed with an Egyptologist from Harvard to ensure historical accuracy, while Life Chronicles was produced in collaboration with the Museum of Natural History in Paris.
“They are entertaining, but also fact-checked and educational, which makes them ideal for school groups. In Montreal, for example, we welcome students during the day for field trips where they can ‘travel’ to Egypt or back to the beginning of life on Earth within just a few hours, and we intend to offer the same in Rosemont.”
Beyond these first two works, the team is preparing additional projects, including one based on a major Hollywood IP to be announced in the coming months.
“Our goal is to present a wide range of immersive experiences, not just VR, though VR will remain a big focus,” says Albert. “The field evolves quickly, and what audiences are excited about today is often very different from what they wanted even 18 months ago.”
PHI Studio also plans to present its own productions, such as Space Explorers: THE INFINITE, its co-production with Felix & Paul Studios, which takes audiences aboard the International Space Station with astronauts.
“We look forward to bringing that to Rosemont and the Chicago market as well.”
The story is key
While technology is being used to deepen the audience’s connection with the content, the goal is for the story to be paramount:
“For us, it always starts with the story,” says Albert. “If the narrative isn’t strong, it doesn’t matter what technology you use; people won’t be engaged, and they won’t take much away from the experience. Storytelling is the first and most important criterion when we decide which works to present.”
Therefore, the technology should be as invisible as possible.
“For many of our visitors, these are their very first VR experiences. When we launched Space Explorers: THE INFINITE in 2021, for example, about 75–80% of participants had never tried VR before. That taught us the importance of removing barriers. So, instead of using backpack PCs, which felt intrusive, we opted for standalone headsets.”
“Now, the technology has advanced to the point where backpacks are no longer necessary, but those early design choices helped ensure visitors could focus entirely on the content rather than the gear.”
A good example is Blur, which PHI Studio recently presented at the Venice Film Festival: “It uses passthrough VR technology, but not in a gimmicky way. The integration is so seamless that audiences sometimes struggle to know whether they are in the physical world with live actors or still in the virtual environment.
“That confusion—being unable to tell what’s real and what’s digital—is intentional, and it’s been one of the most frequent pieces of feedback.
“Of course, with emerging technologies, there are always glitches and limitations, but our team works constantly to refine the visitor experience. The goal is for the technology to disappear into the background, so audiences are fully engaged and immersed in the story.”
EXP Rosemont at the cutting edge
Immersive experiences are continuing to soar in popularity, with new concepts constantly coming to market. Speaking about what will differentiate EXP Rosemont from the competition, Albert says:
“One of the key ways EXP Rosemont will stand out is by presenting virtual reality works. There are still relatively few venues offering VR at this scale, so that immediately differentiates us from many other attractions in the Chicago area. Of course, the market will evolve in the next 12 to 24 months, but right now this is a distinctive offering.”
Rosemont’s location also plays a role, he adds:
“It’s near the airport, about 30–35 minutes from downtown, so our core audience will be people from the suburbs rather than tourists heading into the city. That gives us a different position in the wider Chicago market.
“More broadly, we’ve always aimed to be at the cutting edge of immersive technology. A few years ago, when projection-based shows were extremely popular, we made a conscious choice not to go down that route. It’s not that those experiences aren’t valuable, but our focus has been on VR and other formats that push the boundaries of what’s possible.
“For us, being at the forefront of technology goes hand in hand with strong storytelling, and that combination is what we believe sets our work apart.”
Building awareness
As EXP Rosemont prepares to open for the first time, Albert looks back at the project:
“There are always challenges, of course, but in this case, the fact that we weren’t responsible for building the venue made things much easier for us. In fact, the building was actually delivered ahead of schedule and on budget.”
The bigger challenge is about what comes next, he says:
“The kinds of works we present are often difficult to explain until people actually experience them. So, when you enter a new market like Chicago, the task is not only to let people know you’re there, but also to explain what a virtual reality experience is and what they’ll actually be living through. There’s a strong educational component to that.”
In Montreal, where PHI Studio has been presenting VR for over a decade, audiences are already familiar with the medium.
“The market has matured, and people know that VR today is a very different experience than it was even a few years ago. But in a new city, we don’t have that advantage. That’s why we often say opening a permanent venue like EXP is a marathon, not a sprint.
“Our job at the beginning is to educate the market, build awareness, and present consistently high-quality experiences over time so that we create a critical mass of people who appreciate and return to this type of work.”
The permanent model also gives the team flexibility:
“Unlike a travelling exhibition, which might be in a market for only a few months, we can adapt quickly if something isn’t resonating. If one experience doesn’t connect with audiences, we have the ability to replace it with another. That flexibility is a big advantage and will help us build momentum in Rosemont.”
The future of EXP Rosemont
Looking ahead, the PHI Studio team is already working on programming for 2026 and 2027.
“Our intention is to present both our own works and those created by other studios,” says Albert. “We have many partners and friends producing excellent content, and if it meets our standards for quality, narrative, and storytelling, we’ll be glad to bring it to EXP. That includes travelling exhibitions as well.
“For example, one project based on a major Hollywood IP will be announced soon. It’s a touring production, and we’ve made room in our 2026 calendar for it to stop in Rosemont before moving on to another city. When it leaves, we’ll replace it with something new.”
The goal is to ensure that EXP consistently provides relevant and engaging content for a diverse range of audiences
“Educational value and strong storytelling remain key criteria for us, so whatever we present will always reflect those priorities.”
With its September 2025 opening, EXP Rosemont adds a new dimension to the Chicago-area entertainment landscape. By combining immersive storytelling, virtual reality, and educational experiences, the venue aims to engage both local residents and visitors from the suburbs.
As PHI Studio brings its expertise and curated programming to the space, EXP Rosemont will offer a long-term destination for audiences interested in exploring the evolving world of immersive experiences.
