When walls can teach - a collective experience of art

Last month, I enjoyed an immersive digital art exhibition here in Vancouver called "Imagine Van Gogh". The exhibit focused on the collective experience of art.

Taruna Goel Photography | Facebook

The website describes it as: 

"Imagine Van Gogh, is an exhibition where one can admire The Starry Night, Irises and Sunflowers, or be drawn into the intimacy of his Bedroom in Arles. An experience that brings viewers to the heart of its images, Imagine Van Gogh is accompanied by the music of the great composers Saint-Saëns, Mozart, Bach, Delibes and Satie."

It was a riot for all the senses. More than 200 of Van Gogh’s paintings were projected on huge panels and curated based on color, feelings and his life journey. The digital art was synchronized to classical music thus adding a lot of emotional layers and depth to the experience. The exhibition used warping techniques to project the artwork in a mesmerizing and intimate way. As a viewer, I felt like I was a part of the art. 

"The choice of images, the way they are positioned, their rhythm and their association with the music all compose this original creation conceived by Annabelle Mauger and developed with Julien Baron." - Imagine Van Gogh

Taruna Goel Photography | Facebook

There was also what they called a "pedagogical room" that documented Van Gogh's journey in the written form. The pedagogical room acted like the primer for the actual experience and the room and the exhibit became the "third space" offering the opportunity to learn together. 

Taruna Goel Photography | Facebook

Rotana Ty describes the emergence of this new work and learning place in his article, "Workplace Futures - On Collective Digital Art Experiences" and shares how "The workplace is evolving as the places we work, play, live and learn. They are consumerized, fragmented and tend to adapt to our work and learning needs."

I have often heard the phrase, 'Walls can Teach" in the K-12 environment. But this immersive exhibition took that to another place altogether!