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Climb the Himalayas in this interactive VR experience that’s in Miami for a short run

If tech leads to anxiety more often than serenity, the VR Live Mandala Experience may alter your state of mind. But you’ll need to dash to Allapattah Tuesday to partake.

The calming tones of Buddhist temple bells soothe stress even before you enter the ‘temple.’ Inside, players are invited to place their worldly trappings -- yes, including cell phones -- into a box and stand before a Buddhist altar. Hands in the controls, VR headset strapped on, you’re ready to climb the Himalayas and enter the Temple of the Tilting Buddha.

Unlike many VR experiences, this one is all encompassing. Players wander through a 3-D reality, talking with one another as they teleport up a steep and rocky path without the breathless thigh-burn of a real trek. At the top, they meet the mischievous Monkey God who is trying to escape punishment for eating all the peaches in the Garden of Heaven. The monkey is played by an actor in France, who interacts with players in real time.

Players who arrive solo become part of a team. What ensues is a playfully stealthy lesson in collaboration and cooperation as the players create a mandala, a beautiful design representing the spiritual journey, then contemplate together how humans create their own fleeting realities.

The experience, which lasts through Tuesday evening, is presented by FilmGate Miami, a local nonprofit that promotes creativity through film and tech.

Executive Director Diliana Alexander first saw the production last fall in Venice. Its creator, Thomas Villepoux, won FilmGate’s 2021 festival prize with his work “Jailbirds.” Mandala takes the technology a step further: where most VR experiences are solitary pursuits, “Mandala Experience” requires players to work with teammates as they physically move through a beautiful 360-degree landscape.

“What I really liked about it is that is good for the entire family,” said Alexander. Its themes of cooperation and collaboration seemed especially relevant in this time of political polarization, she said. “It very playfully imbues you with this philosophy.”

Unfortunately the effort to present the Mandala Experience was anything but collaborative or serene. The day before it was supposed to open in FilmGate’s space in the Historic Huntington Building downtown last week, Alexander received a notice from fire officials that the building had to be vacated. Her team missed two days of ticketed experiences as it moved the presentation to Superblue in Allapattah, where it is renting space. “It’s a bit hit for a small nonprofit,” she said.

Mandala VR Live Experience

Through March 21

Superblue, 1101 NW 23 St., Miami

Tickets cost $12 and must be purchased in advance at Eventbrite.