Immersive Van Gogh 360 degrees: Hosts reveal how the experience was crafted

Vincent Van Gogh is a classic case of posthumous fame. A tortured artist, he struggled with poverty and psychosis as his painting skills evolved through the art movements in Europe. With the passage of time, his mind turned bleak while his canvasses emerged brighter, bolder, and with more dramatized brushstrokes. With low commercial success, he sold only one painting in his lifetime and is referred to as the "misunderstood genius". Van Gogh ended his miseries with a bullet in his chest but his luminous works continue to glow and light up different cities of the world.

Coming to Mumbai today is the immersive experience of ‘Van Gogh 360° India' at the World Trade Centre, Cuff Parade in Mumbai. The show is scheduled to run from January 20 to February 17 and will be open from 10:00 am - 9:00 pm throughout the week. Hosted by the Canadian company Festival House Inc., the exhibit will project his masterpieces on mammoth floor-to-ceiling displays in loop animations for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Images will move, projections will go from dark to light and the colours will explode as the viewers enter his elusive mind. There will be a walk-through merchandise store for exclusive Van Gogh collectibles.

What will the immersive experience be like?

The Van Gogh 360° is an installation art surpassing the realms of physical and digital art. It will create a world where viewers will find themselves walking inside the painting and peeping into Van Gogh's elusive imagination. Making use of 3D technology to generate dynamic images out of static ones, the experience will completely bathe the viewers with vivid colors and expressions of his thoughts, dreams, and emotions. It will be a smooth blend of well-known pieces and some lesser-known pieces spanning Van Gogh's entire body of work.

Pic/Festival House Inc.

In a conversation with Midday.com, Tabish Khan, founder of Theia Enterprises, reveals the production planning that has gone into crafting India's first immersive show.

Essential checklist for Van Gogh 360°

Dimensions

There are multiple nuances that need to be taken care of while erecting a show of this scale. "Dimensions become critical and are based on the imaging formula we create internally. The space requires higher ceilings for the projector to throw a light range that will map the image. At the venue, we are working with a massive ceiling height of approximately 25 feet. The higher we go, the better the resolution."

As the event stands fully booked on bookmyshow, the hosts are contemplating to expand the schedule and keep the show going. Consequently, as the event will receive a heavy footfall, crowd management gains primary importance. "In order to comfortably space out the attendees, the floor size has to be huge. This is not a concert where people are standing shoulder to shoulder. Attendees will require ample space to stand and reflect upon the visuals in order to fully live the experience. The whole event is covered in a 10,000 sq. ft. of area which offers us the flexibility we require. "

Pic/Festival House Inc.

Image mapping and animation

Van Gogh 360º is a three-dimensional world that will exhilarate the senses. The futuristic technology deploys large-scale 360º-projection achieved through dozens of projectors and high powered computer servers that will deliver crisp and compelling images. Tabish shares that his agency imported the projectors from Canada. "We got the same projectors that have been used in the international Van Gogh 360 exhibitions in order to resurrect the exact experience here in Mumbai."

The curatorial team from the Festival House Inc. shares that the immersive experience is fully animated. It was produced by a Canadian animator outfit (names undisclosed on request) over more than an eight-month period, giving life to his paintings. The animated images were studied closely before selection and are of the highest quality resolution.

"The vibrancy and details of Van Gogh's artwork are powerful and are very effective in an immersive environment. The use of augmented reality allows for an even greater appreciation of his technique given each stroke is magnified on a vast surface." AR combined with projection mapping offers the necessary depth to re-create Van Gogh's style of painting called ‘Impasto' which is marked by thick brushstrokes.

Pic/Festival House Inc.

Lighting and soundtrack

Major precision goes into crafting a display of this grandeur. To bring the maestro's bright musings to life, lighting conditions have to be controlled. Tabish highlights the criticality of choosing a completely dark room for this exhibition: "A penetration of a single ray of light can disrupt the entire experience. As the images go from dark to light and the animation switches, we have dedicated technicians to administer the exposure of light entering the room."

An original classical instrumental score has been composed to run in the background of the loop animation. The sounds have been orchestrated specifically as per the theme and the movement of the imageries. This will ensure a seamless transformation as the viewer walks from one painting to another without ever knowing when the switch happened.

Pic/Festival House Inc.

Why Van Gogh?

The immersive experience has featured the works of other artists like Picasso and Monet but the conspicuousness of Van Gogh's exhibits reveals that he is the winner of this genre. In international events, patrons have been seen indulging over a drink to his painting, "Starry Night". In another instance, some of them slept on the floor to viscerally teleport into the sunflower fields painted by him. The free-flowing arena makes for a viable spot for people to sink in fully and alter their reality with the power of his paintings. Festival House Inc. elaborates, "Vincent Van Gogh's works were the first to be used in this sort of exhibition format. The vibrancy and details of his artwork are so powerful and elusive that they make a perfect fit for an immersive environment."

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