Immersive art is a presentation technique, in which the art form, with the help of technology, engages the human senses in ways a simple painting cannot. Typically, the art is presented in large spaces in a way that engulfs the viewer, and which along with music and other sensory cues, makes the viewer experience the art form in a more personal and holistic manner.
Many museums around the world are expanding their offerings to include digital immersive exhibitions, especially to attract younger museum visitors. Other companies are creating their own shows, which feature not museum quality art but their own modern artistic creations using advanced display technology (I would call it immersive entertainment).
Here we present some examples of high quality art based immersive exhibitions. There are many more examples of immersive art/entertainment shows; see livability.com/… for a sample list of such shows in the U.S.
Atelier des Lumières in Paris is one of the companies at the forefront of immersive art; it has set up a number of immersive art exhibitions in its own building in Paris. It uses high-power laser video projectors, computers and spatialized sound systems to create the 3-D immersive experience. Thousands of moving images are projected over a total surface area of 3300 sq m. These images extend from the floors to the ceilings and cover walls up to 10 m high, making it one of the largest fixed multimedia installations in the world.
An exhibition last year featured the artwork of Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt and his protégé Egon Schiele. This year’s exhibits feature Van Gogh and other artists.
Here are a few videos of immersive art exhibitions and shows. Watch them in full-screen mode to feel their full impact.
Van Gogh, Starry Night, Atelier des Lumières, Paris, France
Japon rêvé, Atelier des Lumières, Paris, France
Gustav Klimt Exposición inmersiva, Atelier des Lumières, Paris, France (2018)
A similar digital exhibition in Japan is getting high marks and accolades in the art world.
MORI Building Digital Art Museum, Japan.
teamLab Massless, Amos Rex gallery, Helsinki, Finland
The technology and displays of the Japanese exhibition are created by a company called teamLab. Check out more of their videos at www.youtube.com/…
Claude Monet: The Water Lily Obsession, Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris, France. This exhibition uses VR technology, requiring viewers to wear VR headsets.
Samskara, L.A. This is a digital show. A bit different than watching museum art. Other shows like this are popping over in Denver, San Diego and other U.S. cities.
Meow Wolf is a company in the U.S with several installations in the U.S., notably in Sante Fe.
www.dc.artechouse.com/… is another company with shows in D.C., Miami and NYC.
And since Black Holes are the rage this week, this exhibition from 2017 caught my eye -
ORIENS, an immersive Black Hole exhibition from 2017 by artist Cao Yuxi. Details at www.designboom.com/...
Have you experienced one of these or similar immersive art exhibitions? What has been your experience? What other similar exhibitions would you recommend to our viewers? Do you visit museums often? Do you dabble in the arts? What role has art played in your life and in your activism? Do you think this art presentation form is useful for reaching out to a larger audience? What role should the arts play in society?
Further Reading
- A New Breed of Immersive Art Experiences Offers a Gateway to Alternative Realities — www.artsy.net/…
- 5 Immersive Art Spaces You Have to Experience to Believe — livability.com/…
- teamLab to open immersive digital museum in Tokyo — archpaper.com/…
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teamlab planets tokyo: a 'body immersive' exhibition of all-encompassing digital art — www.designboom.com/...