The installation will be available to visit in Dublin for most of the summer.
2022 is very much the year for trying new things. After missing out on so much in the last two years or so, we’ve all become much more open-minded when it comes to how we’re going to spend our days out. And if you’re in the market for something cultural and truly unique, look no further than Van Gogh Dublin – An Immersive Journey.
Housed with the cavernous Hall 2 at the RDS, the instillation combines one of the greatest artists the world has ever known, and presents his work via the most cutting edge technology imaginable.
Once you arrive in the large, white-walled room, everything fades to black, and soon a series of incredible high-end projectors blast imagery on to the walls and floor, creating a lush, beautiful and at times dizzying spectacle, bringing us on a journey from Von Gogh’s early life all the way through to his final creations.
But instead of just presenting his artworks as is – albeit in the largest way imaginable – the instillation delivers his masterpieces through an almost kaleidoscopic lens. Sometimes mirroring itself on different walls around you, sometimes swirling, collapsing and reappearing in truly dazzling visual presentation, all matched with a luxuriant wall of calming sounds to properly situate you in the time and place of the when and where he was creating his works.
The experience doesn’t end with his presentation though, as it is followed up with two more visuals.
The first takes place within an A.I., with a softly robotic female voice asking some huge existential questions, as some very technologic imagery plays out in an almost 360-degree vista. It feels like the love child of the trippiest moments of Doctor Strange and the final act of Interstellar.
Following that, the visual creators then finish off with a representation of how light passes through, and is processed by, the human eye, in the most microscopic and propulsive way. These two additional instillations obviously don’t have much to do with Van Gogh, but they do further expand upon how this illuminative projection technology can be used.
The entire experience lasts about 40 minutes, and ends with a Van Gogh-themed gift shop, for anyone looking for famous prints and sunflower-covered mugs.
It is something truly very different (and very Instagram-ready) for a day’s excursion, so if you’re looking for some different to do, this is highly recommended.
Van Gogh Dublin – An Immersive Journey is being shown at the RDS in Dublin until Thursday, 4 August.
Full details on timings and ticking pricing can be found here.
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