You may have experienced Virtual Reality in some form or other, but never like MONSIEUR VINCENT, currently in the Weston Studio at Wales Millennium Centre.
Take the classical work of and old master – Vincent Van Gogh, cram it into an interactive headset, and you have an VR experience that will take you into the world and inner mind of one of the worlds greatest painters.
Vincent was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. Unbelievably, in just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of them in the last two years of his life.
On July 29th, 1890, in Auvers-sur-Oise, the painter Vincent van Gogh died by suicide. Marguerite, the daughter of his physician, Dr. Gachet, was one of his last models.
The experience starts in the home of Dr. Gachet where Marguerite reminisces about the artist. She then takes us on a journey through his palette of colours and famous works: in Provence, where he nearly lost himself in his quest for the “high yellow note“; the reds and greens of the cafés along the Rhône River; the vivid colours of the night sky; and in the fields of Northern France, where he explored the pure colours of exhilaration and passion.
We went along to Wales Millennium Centre to preview Monsieur Vincent and catch up with DAVID MASSEY, Senior Producer, Creative Experiences and Installation Designer FRAN NORBURN.
Monsieur Vincent is a UK-debut, and having it here in our capital is something very special. We are big fans of VR in our office, and actually do some of our work with the headset on. What this show does however is marry the old and new together, in a way that only VR can. It feels fresh and modern and yet captures all the warmth and vibrance that makes Vincent Van Gogh’s work so unique.
If you’re not into the idea of putting on a headset and losing yourself in the whole experience, I promise you this is different. You will see and learn so much about Vincent and even find yourself physically interacting with what you see around you.
This is an experience you won’t want to miss.
Monsieur Vincent isn’t a biography of the artist, although you do learn a lot about him on your virtual journey. The experience takes you beyond a timeline and right into world of many colours, inspired by his last paintbox.
It’s fair to say you will smile at the bright and vivid world you are taken through. This is also a very moving experience as we share the pain felt by the artist who had painted a world so colourful and yet lived in the shadow of a darkness which eventually led him to take how own life 135 years ago, this very week (29th July 1890).
MONSIEUR VINCENT is in the Weston Studio at Wales Millennium Centre through to 1st September. Tickets cost £6 and the experience lasts around 20 minutes. For more details and to book your place go HERE.
- Van Gogh: Blooming Threads of Joy and Hope, a vibrant textile installation by Welsh-Persian artist Naseem Syed, reinterpreting Van Gogh’s work through community-made fabric art.
- Armadilo, a retail space supporting Welsh designers and makers
- Ffrwnais, serving up fresh meals, bakes and specialty coffee daily
