Shot! Van Gogh Alive in Brighton
Despite all the hype, this so-called ‘immersive experience’ was about as exciting as watching paint dry!
I’m a huge fan of Van Gogh. I’ve seen his paintings in person at London’s National Gallery, I’ve been to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam (which, by the way, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year) and even visited Zundert, the small Dutch town on the Belgian border where Vincent was born.
However, up until now, I’d never been to see Van Gogh Alive — the highly successful ‘immersive experience’ that’s been touring the world. So when it was announced it would be coming to Brighton, I wanted to be among the first to see it.
The added bonus for me was it was being held in the Corn Exchange that had been closed for six years as it underwent an extensive (and expensive) renovation. As one of the city’s most underused entertainment spaces, I was as interested in seeing what the venue, which is part of the Brighton Dome, now looked like.
Things didn’t go to plan. The preview event I was invited to was cancelled just days before it was due to take place. Apparently, extra safety work was required forcing the opening to be delayed.
As a result, Van Gogh Alive opened without a media launch and I got to witness it for myself a few days after it officially opened to the public. I have to say, I can’t recall coming away from an event being quite so underwhelmed.
No doubt a big part of that was the hype surrounding it. By all accounts, it’s been a huge success, attracting big audiences around the world. Touted as “the world’s most visited immersive multi-sensory experience” in reality it’s simply the story of Vincent van Gogh told through images and text set to music and projected on various large screens including two on the floor.
The experience begins with visitors gathering in a holding space containing the kind of static information panels you’d expect to see in an art gallery. If like me you knew about Van Gogh’s life, you won’t learn much you didn’t already know about him.
From there, you move through to the main presentation area. Over the next 45 minutes, synchronised images of Van Gogh’s paintings are projected onto the screens accompanied by the most soporific of soundtracks.
Whilst the image quality is good, because the vast majority of the subject matter is static, it quickly becomes repetitive as one artwork dissolves into another, with the occasional animation added to Vincent’s original paintings.
Ten minutes in and it’s already feeling tedious. You’re beginning to wonder when something special is going to happen. Spoiler alert: it never does.
Now I go to a lot of big concerts and invariably many of them have large screen projections, so the notion of seeing images on a large scale is hardly a novelty and certainly not the “state of the art” technology that they claim. What’s more, most of those shows feature moving rather than static images. The screens are there to enhance the musicians on stage and are not the main attraction, unlike at Van Gogh Alive, where they are the only attraction.
Most visitors stand, lean against the walls or sit on the floor. Whilst there are a few bench seats, there aren’t enough of them.
Annoyingly, some people stand in front of the screens, while others walk around the room, but in truth there’s nothing to gain from moving about as the images are the same whatever your vantage point.
In telling Vincent’s story, what quickly becomes clear is that there’s a dearth of creativity. It’s just more of the same, but with different paintings. And as I’ve already said, it’s so slow, so one-paced.
Regarding the aromas that are supposed to “transport you” to Provence and some of the scenes captured in the paintings, I couldn’t smell a thing. Indeed, I even asked one of the staff if the aroma machine was actually working. They assured me it was, but that it was quite subtle.
Once the ‘show’ was over, you’re instructed to go upstairs to another space. Here there’s a pretty simplistic mock up of one of Vincent’s rooms, another tiny space filled with mirrors and lots of plastic sunflowers and a small area where you can do some digital drawing. And in time-honoured fashion, you exit through the gift shop.
My visit was comped. Had I paid the £24 entry charge, I think I’d feel like I’d been ripped off. It really was that poor an experience. And I’m not alone feeling that way. A quick search on Google reveals lots of disgruntled people.
Here are just a few sample quotes:
“Overpriced and under delivered.”
“There is nothing creative about this overhyped exhibition.”
“I was very excited to see Van Gogh Alive, but imagine the disappointment when I discovered it’s a slide show of Van Gogh’s paintings combined with very basic animation and generic music.”
“With a little more creativity, this exhibition could have been so much better.”
“The content was OK, however it was a triumph of marketing over substance.”
“This is a cynical rinse of a show that massively oversells the experience and massively under delivers.”
In their review, The Guardian described the experience as “an aesthetic similar to walking through a shopping centre or airport.”
The people behind it, Grande Experiences are Australian and that’s where the event originated. Van Gogh Alive has now been seen by over 8 million people in more than 55 cities worldwide.
As well as Brighton, it’s also currently being held in Bangkok, Shanghai and Skelleftea in Sweden and coming soon to Salzburg, Indianapolis and Jakarta.
Whilst they clearly have a passion for art and especially Van Gogh, one thing they don’t share with the artist is an inability to profit from his work.
Despite now being acknowledged as the world’s most popular artist, during his lifetime Vincent never prospered from his painting, indeed, some claim he never sold a single canvas.
Since taking his own life aged thirty-seven in 1890, others have not be so tardy on the money front. Auction houses, galleries, book publishers, licensing companies and even pen manufacturers like Montblanc, have all profited from ‘selling’ his art. Given Van Gogh’s global popularity, it will come as no surprise that Grande Experiences aren’t the only ones with an immersive experience.
Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience is currently in Davenport, Iowa. By all accounts, it’s remarkably similar. Lasting 35 minutes, it also features 300 of Van Gogh’s artworks projected on screens and the floor. It made its debut in Miami in April 2021 and is produced by Paquin Entertainment Group of Canada.
That there are two very similar shows happening simultaneously is somewhat ironic as Van Gogh constantly challenged himself to do things that were different from what his contemporaries were producing.
As well as his art, Van Gogh is also remembered for some great quotes, among those being: “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
Sadly, with Van Gogh Alive Grande have not come close to producing anything that could be described as being great. Yes, it was an experience. But not one you’d wish to repeat.
Footnote: Even the concept of immersive art experiences, isn’t unique to Van Gogh Alive. Right now, there are two different events running in London.
Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience opened in July 2021 in a former stable building opposite Old Spitalfields Market in London.
In Marble Arch is Frameless. Ostensibly, it’s an almost identical kind of show, but featuring the work of multiple artists including Van Gogh. Across 30,000 sq ft, the experience includes four adjoining galleries each focusing on a different art topic.
Judging by the photographs, both use the same large-scale projections, and both also project onto the ceilings and the entire floor.
Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience even has the same mock-up bedroom as Van Gogh Alive.
Having only experienced Van Gogh Alive, the fact that telling the artist’s story using large scale projections of his paintings, one can only conclude they are all very similar.
With such similarities between all the different Van Gogh experiences, it would be surprising if there wasn’t some kind of shared creative or commercial connection.
Lastly, regarding the refurbished Corn Exchange. In truth, it was impossible to form an opinion on the years of work as all one could see was the arched ceiling. Once Van Gogh Alive has ended its run, it will be interesting to see how the Grade I listed venue will be used, whether for exhibitions or for live music. I’ve seen quite a few gigs there in the past, including Royal Blood, and it does offer a very different experience than the adjacent Dome theatre.
Behind the shot: All these images were taken with the iPhone 14 Pro. It was impossible to get any shots without people in them, although of course the figures help provide a sense of scale. Perhaps more frustrating was the inability to be more creative, which is why most of the images you see from the event look so similar.
About the author: Based in Sussex-by-the-Sea, on England’s south coast, Gary is a creative writer and image-maker. He specialises in creating out of the ordinary portraits of musicians and people with interesting faces, as well as photographing some of the world’s finest flowers and gardens, not forgetting an array of automotive exotica.
On the writing side, he has used his research skills to author deep dives into some noteworthy songs beginning with Bryan Ferry’s ‘These Foolish Things’ ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials, ‘Real Wild Child’ by Ivan and ‘All The Young Dudes’ by Mott the Hoople.
He has also written a biography of Robert Palmer and the stories behind Whitesnake’s blatant Led Zep rip-off, ‘Still Of The Night’, Harry Styles’ anthem to positivity, ‘Treat People With Kindness’ and the little known Queen track ‘Cool Cat.’
Most recently, Gary has penned the fascinating story behind George Orwell’s dystopian novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four.’ as well as ‘Believe It Or Not’ a look into the rise of fake news.
All these can be found here on Medium, along with his reviews of gigs and events and chats with musicians including the likes of Royal Blood, Joe Satriani and Wolf Alice.
