The Van Gogh immersive experience in SoDo, Seattle, has garnered lots of attention since its opening in October 2021. Brought to life by Exhibition Hub, Van Gogh’s artistic journey is relayed in a creative and modern way through the combination of his art and today’s modern technologies.
The exhibit starts with the early stages of Van Gogh’s life. There are a few information panels about how he is connected to Japan, how he grew up, how he eventually lost his left ear and how he spent his last days. In one open room, a five-minute documentary provides insight into his painting techniques. If you follow down the path, you eventually get to see life-size canvas reproductions of his works — the most notable one being “The Starry Night.”
Walking further into the warehouse, you will come across a physical 3D recreation of Van Gogh’s “The Bedroom.” The attention to detail in recreating such a masterpiece while attempting to incorporate the look of a painting is fascinating to see.
Though every aspect of the exhibit is equally enticing, it is still no surprise that the main attraction is the immersive room. With a 360-degree digital show and 60 projectors bringing 200 of Van Gogh’s artworks to your eyes, it is truly a beautiful experience and show to witness. There even comes a point where rain is projected to fall and make a ripple on the ground. The Exhibition Hub’s website notes that “the projections animate the floor and all the walls around the visitors, creating a great immersive experience. The sound and light show lasts 35 minutes and runs on a loop with no beginning or end.”
After the immersion room, you walk into the Colour & Post space, which allows visitors to draw on coloring sheets and stick them to a wall with other creations.
The last room in the exhibit is the virtual reality (VR) tour. Though it is $5 more, I would highly recommend taking the opportunity to see Van Gogh’s painting style as the real world. During this VR tour, viewers get an 11-minute experience of walking through the paintings “Café Terrace at Night,” “Wheatfield with Crows,” “The Night Café,” “The Starry Night” and “Starry Night Over the Rhône.”
This Van Gogh exhibit initially launched in 2017 and has since amassed over five million visitors. According to its website, there are currently 10 exhibits running in the U.S. and eight outside of the country. If you would like to see an official video highlighting the immersion experience, see this YouTube video. To hear some reviews about the experience, check out this YouTube video.
If you would like to book your tickets, see Fever’s dedicated website.
Song credit: “Bim Bom” by João Gilberto
