There are SO MANY immersive experiences revolving around the work of Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Like… way more than you’d expect. And they’re all pretty much the same.
What’s the reason for this glut of similar experiences… and are any of them worth visiting?
Contents
The Van Gogh Immersive Experience Plague
What Are These Experiences Like on The Inside?
Will Van Gogh Immersive Experiences Go Away Soon?
The Van Gogh Immersive Experience Plague
You’ve almost certainly seen an advert for some kind of Vincent van Gogh-related immersive experience. Maybe you’ve even been to one. They usually consist of big projections of his paintings combined with music and animation, and sometimes a mirror room full of sunflowers.
They’re generally pretty overpriced, and pretty underwhelming. But there are loads of them. Here’s a partial list of the ones we’re aware of:
- Van Gogh, La Nuit Etoilée by L’Atelier des Lumieres
- Immersive Van Gogh Exhibition by Lighthouse Immersive
- Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience by Exhibition Hub/Fever
- Van Gogh Alive was created by Australian-based Grande Experiences
- Beyond Van Gogh by Normal Studio
- Imagine Van Gogh by Encore Productions
Why so many? Well, Van Gogh’s work is famous, but also in the public domain – meaning that anyone can use it for any purpose, including making a profit from it. The big projections look great on Instagram, and are cheap to set up. The concept has been shown to sell well, and you can charge a relatively high ticket price for it.
This collections of characteristics means that any company can basically copy-and-paste this event idea and be sure of selling a decent number of tickets. A proliferation of very similar Van Gogh immersive experiences is the natural result.
What are these experiences like on the inside?
When attending a Van Gogh immersive experience you can expect one or several large rooms with large-scale projections on the walls. These will be mainly of Van Gogh’s art, but may also include other relevant historical imagery. Some of them will be animated. These will scroll and change to a soaring orchestral soundtrack, perhaps telling the story of Van Gogh’s life in the process.
There’ll be at least one naff Instagram photo-opportunity: perhaps a mirror room full of artificial sunflowers or a recreation of Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles.
There will, of course, be a gift shop on the way out, and there is a 100% chance they will stock a pencil eraser in the shape of a severed ear. Just as Vincent himself would have wanted.
Why is this a bad thing?
It may not be a bad thing. In fact, you may well have a perfectly decent time at any given Van Gogh immersive experience – especially if you’ve not been to any other experience that makes use of large scale projections. As with many immersive things, the novelty is often enough to make it worthwhile the first time. And some of these experiences are put together with a decent amount of care and attention.
However, you should be aware that an increasing number of Van Gogh immersive experiences are just cheap copies of better attractions, thrown hurriedly together with the sole intent of making a quick buck.
With experiences opening and closing all the time, it’s very difficult to track which are good and which are shallow cash grabs. They all look good online, and the poor quality of the experience or the lack of customer service might only become apparent once you’ve handed over your money.
Most companies that truly care about designing great immersive experiences have either already moved on or will soon move on from producing Van Gogh immersive experiences. As low-quality copies rack up negative reviews and create tens of thousands of mediocre customer experiences, Van Gogh-based attractions are starting to be seen as a kind of immersive experience slop.
Will Van Gogh Immersive Experiences Go Away Soon?
They’re already going away, and fast. Many of the original companies that ran these experiences have already shut down, leaving only the pale imitators. As times and tastes change (and people get sick of seeing Van Gogh immersive experience ads on social media) it’s likely that this once-common immersive event format will disappear forever.
So, despite all the above, if you do really want to go and see a Van Gogh immersive, there’s no better time than right now.