Van Gogh: An Immersive Experience

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Roman Boldyrev

The opening of Immersive Van Gogh exhibit.

Momo Sutton, Reporter

While modern society presses towards a world of technology, entertainment and arts are also evolving. Among these advancements, one has taken to the stage for quite some time now. Its first exhibit premiered from April of 2021 to August 29th but has once again returned.

From November 26th to January 2022, the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit is featured at Orange County Convention Center’s West Concourse, 9800 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819. Prices range from $39.99 per person to $54.99 and lasts one hour. The exhibit is designed and conceived by Massimiliano Siccardi, with soundtrack by Luca Longobardi, who both pioneered immersive digital art experiences in France.

The exhibition spans more than 500,000 cubic feet of animated projections—that’s the “largest and most elaborate” of all the “Immersive Van Gogh” shows as well as the biggest showing of Van Gogh’s art in the world, according to David Korins, the New York show’s creative director, who has also won awards for his work on Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen. It brings Van Gogh’s masterpieces to life with over 90,000,000 pixels of animation and 60,600 frames of video.

Massimiliano Siccardi, art director Vittorio Guidotti and curators Corey Ross, Svetlana Dvoretsky and Irina Shabshis have created a mesmerizing way to connect to the artist on a deeper level that throws you into his work. The projections fall on the walls and mirrored surfaces, but they also wash across the viewer’s face and body, quite literally “immersing” you.

Korins stated, “To me, the reason why we have all of these mirrored sculptures is to give moments of contemplation. To be able to meander through the experience…to me the emotion comes from being able to choose your own adventure and invest in and absorb the work on your own time. It’s very visceral.”

“We’ve created a unique and enthralling production where Orlando residents and visitors alike can quite literally surround themselves with the work of Vincent van Gogh, one of the greatest artists who ever lived,” said Producer Svetlana Dvoretsky.

Over three and a half million tickets have been sold across North America, making Immersive Van Gogh one of the hottest attractions in Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and other cities and states.

This breathtaking exhibit features state-of-the-art technology and immersive storytelling. It has been described as an “Artistic Spectacle” by the New York Times and “A Mesmerizing Interactive Experience” by Architectural Digest.

“Immersive Van Gogh has been hailed as an entirely new way of encountering art, and we’re delighted to see the way the city and people of Orlando have embraced the exhibit,” says Lighthouse Immersive Producer Corey Ross.

This exhibit is one example of society’s progression and will likely be a precedent for future artistic endeavors.