As referenced in my last post, the main reason for being in Miami was to attend the Van Gogh Immersive Experience. By sharing our experience, perhaps you will be better prepared, should you decide to take on this adventure.

After some photo ops at the entrance, and making our way through a tunnel with digital imagery, we entered a large dark room with monitors sharing some background information about Van Gogh. It is reminiscent of the mild entertainment provided while standing in a long line at Disney World ~ merely a prefix to the finale.

Below you can see the screens offering educational tidbits. . .

As we continued through the maze, reading the digital screens, I began to wonder if this was worth the trip. The excitement and anticipation associated with the event were dissipating. Finally, we entered another dark hallway where an attendant welcomed small groups of people, slowly, into a gymnasium-sized room (20,000 square ft) with two-story video projections on the walls, floor and ceiling. All were instructed not to touch the screens, informed of exit locations, and eventually entered with a sing song message, “stay as long as you like!”

Upon entering with an internal eye roll, my thoughts were reinforced, “Is this it?!”

Depending on when one enters, I am happy to report, eventually, there is a significant wow factor. As an Art History major, I was skeptical prior to our visit. I knew this experience wasn’t going to include actual paintings, but at this stage of the immersive “experience” I really needed a magical moment. We stayed for about an hour, standing, observing the florals, the landscapes, the portraits, some still, some moving, with an occasional coming to life as the paintings moved and twinkled across the walls. We loved it!

The landscapes were especially fabulous.

The portraits were incredible. The green postman with the green floral background was my favorite! imagine these paintings projected on walls - maybe 25 feet high?

Scenes from Vincent’s bedroom at Arles.

Animation would periodically bring the images to life, and that would really get the crowd excited.

The street depicted below would begin as a sketch in black and white, and then a progressive wave of color would fill in across the walls.

What I really wish, is that I could include some of the videos I recorded here. I can only offer you the option of going to my instagram, thefrenchtangerine, and tap the Miami highlights on my profile page. Some of them are especially good. The photo below looks blurry, but when it’s in motion, it’s incredible!

My overall review is this: Know before you go that there are no actual paintings. This is not an exhibit of artwork, it is a digital experience of light and sound featuring 360 degree projections of some of Van Gogh’s most popular works. The galleries prior to the main event share some basic education about his life, technique and influence. Plan for about an hour for this immersive experience. The timed entries are great. You can buy VIP tickets which allow you longer windows for entry. This was great for us since our schedule was not set in stone, and we didn’t want to be restricted by a certain time. Also, I hadn’t considered the “big city factor” that we were only about 6 miles from the venue, but it took us 45 minutes to get there.

It’s definitely fun and worthwhile! Especially if you love Van Gogh!

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