Disclaimer: The Fandads were invited to the Media Night to cover the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit Chicago. All thoughts, opinions, and fantastic time are our own.
Last night I was able to attend the Media Event for the new Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit Chicago. I have been seeing the ads all week on television and on social media, and I was very excited to attend. On the drive there I was thinking about how the experience will be and what works of Van Gogh I will see come to life. I felt that I was building up my expectations too high, and when I arrived at the event and enveloped myself in the work, I was not disappointed.
While there are many videos and photos of the event out on the web, they do not do justice to being at the event. Seeing the works of art come to life in front of you just feels so surreal and invigorating at the same time. The accompanying music helps propel the experience to another level. This is truly an experience that assaults your senses and takes advantage of the space around you. There is an actual Spotify playlist that showcases the music that is played during the event.
Not to give away too much about the exhibit but the show starts off in the dark, as to create the final moments of Van Gogh's life, and then hits you with a barrage of images and sound to let you know that the show is about to start. The exhibit is laid out across four rooms and the show is continuously playing across all four rooms. Walking back and forth between the rooms you can experience the same work but depending on the room you are in the experience might be different. The smaller rooms feel more intimate, while the bigger room really plays with your senses. No matter what room you are in you will have a great experience.
The exhibit felt very safe with all of the Covid 19 guidelines that were in play at the event. Everyone who entered had their temperature checked and asked questions regarding symptoms before being allowed to enter. Once inside, the staff explained to us how the exhibit ran and to make sure to visit the balcony of the exhibit. I have to give a big shout-out to the staff at the exhibit. They were making sure people stayed the required 6 feet apart from each other and were constantly wiping down surfaces that were touched by guests. It felt reassuring to see all the precautions taking place to keep everyone safe.
I really enjoyed my experience at the exhibit and I think that the small crowds made the experience more enjoyable. In a different timeline, the room might have been too crowded to enjoy the projections on the floor and the walls but the small crowd made you enjoy every moment and make it really feel like you are in the paintings. Take some time and make sure you check out this exhibit.
I will be returning with my family to this event. I think this show will be appropriate for children 5 and up. The constant movement of the images will keep them engaged and hold their attention. Make this a family night to get out from the daily routine of being home all day.
Now a word from our sponsors:
Lighthouse ArtSpace Chicago, a new venue within Chicago’s recently renovated landmark Germania Club Building, today announced that due to popular demand the U.S. premiere of the blockbuster art experience Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit will extend its dates through Labor Day after having sold out the initial block of tickets. The Exhibit will open one hour earlier at 9 a.m. and will offer Saturday afternoon VIP and Premium tickets in February and March. Tickets go on sale Saturday, Jan. 30 at 9 a.m. at vangoghchicago.com and by phone at 844-307-4644.
Lighthouse ArtSpace Chicago, a three-story facility located at 108 W. Germania Place, is dedicated to immersive art presentations, merging the boundaries between entertainment and culture to give visitors the sense that they are encountering art as never before. Utilizing the building’s Victorian Era architectural details, 35-foot-tall walls and multiple levels (including balconies), the venue will present vibrant immersive art exhibitions that surround the viewer on all sides.
The venue’s first presentation, Immersive Van Gogh, is a visually spectacular digital art exhibition that recently received widespread critical acclaim during its debut in Toronto. Immersive Van Gogh invites audiences to “step inside” the iconic works of post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh, evoking his highly emotional and chaotic inner consciousness through art, light, music, movement and imagination. The Italian creative team who pioneered digital experiences in Paris will create a custom design to fit the gracious Neo-Classical architecture of the exhibition’s Chicago home.
The hour-long, walk-through experience has been designed with health and safety as a priority. Capacity will be limited in accordance with the City of Chicago’s safety protocols. Additional safety precautions include touchless ticket-taking, temperature checks upon arrival, hand sanitizer stations, social distancing markers throughout the venue, and digitally projected social distancing circles on the gallery floors to ensure appropriate spacing. All guests must wear a face covering at all times during their visit to Lighthouse ArtSpace Chicago.
Immersive Van Gogh was designed by creative director and Italian film producer Massimiliano Siccardi, with original, mood-setting music by Italian multimedia composer Luca Longobardi, who provided a score that combines experimental electronic music with pure, ethereal and simple-seeming piano. Vittorio Guidotti is the Art Director. Siccardi and Longobardi are both pioneers of immersive digital art experiences in Paris, where they were part of the team that created the world-renowned Van Gogh, Starry Night exhibition, among others. With more than 50 projectors illuminating over 14,000 square-feet, visitors to Immersive Van Gogh will be encircled from head-to-toe in Van Gogh’s brushstrokes and colors, including animated details from works such as Self Portrait with Felt Hat (1888), The Bedroom in Arles (1889), Irises (1889) and The Starry Night (1889).
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