LAGUNA RISE — Carrie Mendoza

Venue: Daryl Roth Theatre
Address: 101 EAST 15 STREET, New York, New York
Building Class: Theatre Off Broadway
A Walk on Water
Laguna Rise reimagines exhibition environments as spaces where every individual, seen or unseen, can feel supported, autonomous, and emotionally at ease. By blending play, sensory balance, and inclusive design strategies, the experience invites visitors to discover how environments can care for people, not the other way around.
Therefore, design for invisible needs to create environments where everyone can rise.
Education: Balance as a Life Skill
Helps preteens understand what it takes to chase the “big waves” (goals, dreams, challenges).
Equip preteens with coping strategies
Resilience is a Practice
Project: Promote surfing as a metaphor, a sensory and interactive design.
Accessibility for NYC youth who may not have access to nature or the beach.
Experience: Creating an emotional safe space.
Having the preteens experience challenge and mastery to motivate
Transporting visitors into a sensory-rich surf environment inside the David Roth Theatre
Ensuring visitors leave with an emotional memory and a practical tool set of new coping strategies.
Item description
Target Audience:
Preteens the ages of (9-13 years old)
Secondary Audience
Parents- Guardians of the children’s visitors.

SEE

Natural elements, grasses, warm light, and curved forms that visually slow the body

A clear, welcoming path forward with no visual pressure or commands

Walk at their own pace toward the exhibition entrance

Hold hands, pause, or move forward without obstruction
Transition naturally from the outside world into a more reflective environment

DO

This is a space where comfort and autonomy are prioritized

The exhibition values choice, softness, and emotional ease

LEARN

A sense of arrival without pressure

Emotional permission to slow down
Safety, warmth, and curiosity rather than anticipation stress

EXPERIENCE

Organic forms, reflective surfaces, and flowing textures.
Wading pool that invites visitors to be barefoot.

SEE

Interact with tactile elements inspired by sea flora.
Pause, breathe, and observe your surroundings.
Dip their feet in the wading pool

DO

How underwater environments support calm, focus, and emotional regulation.
The role of sensory grounding in ocean ecology and human well-being.

LEARN

A soothing, immersive environment that invites visitors to listen to their bodies, settle into stillness, and feel the restorative qualities of the ocean.

EXPERIENCE

A raised surfboard platform designed for balance practice

SEE

Step onto the balancing board and practice shifting your weight.

Try different stances to find your center.

DO

That balance is learned through patience, repetition, and resilience.

How surfers use micro-adjustments and core strength to stay steady.

LEARN

A playful moment of challenge and achievement where visitors test their equilibrium, build confidence, and connect personally to the embodied practice of surfing.

EXPERIENCE

Projection-mapped water textures, shifting light, and scale.
Balancing boards.

SEE

Step into the wave environment and move through its shifting form

Engage with synchronized sound and visuals to feel the motion of a barrel.

DO

How digital immersion can translate the sensory rush of surfing.

The emotional relationship between anticipation, courage, and movement.

LEARN

A breathtaking, full-body moment inside a rising wave invites awe, exhilaration, and a sense of freedom as visitors feel the ocean's raw power and beauty from within.

EXPERIENCE

Warm, sun-washed colors and textures reminiscent of a beachside shop.

Surfboards, tools, merchandise, and archival objects that tell surf stories.

SEE

Browse surf-inspired objects and tactile materials.

Explore the surf community and objects.

DO

How surf shops function as local hubs of culture, identity, and storytelling.

The importance of community, support, and shared experience in surf culture.

LEARN

A warm, familiar, and welcoming environment where visitors feel a sense of belonging, like stepping into a coastal shop that celebrates creativity, community, and the everyday culture of surfing.