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Dublin Live
Entertainment
Brian Dillon

Van Gogh RDS show review: Does the audio visual experience live up to the hype?

Van Gogh - An Immersive Journey makes a big promise to bring to life one of the most prolific artists of all time. Doing so with such an iconic artist is no easy feat, but the stunning audio-visual experience does an impressive job of immersing visitors into the painter's mind, bringing them on a journey through some of his most famous works.

The experience opens today in Dublin's RDS and invites the public to experience real life moving imagery, with visuals projected onto all four walls as well as the very ground you stand on. The surrounding audio transports you to the places put before you, immersing you in ways a traditional exhibition could never achieve.

The digital art spectacle has been put together by Theatre of Light, using artificial intelligence to add movement to some of Van Gogh's most famous artworks.

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Split into four parts, you can expect to be there for around an hour. The first section sees Van Gogh's artworks brought to life using audio-visual storytelling, charting his psyche, early career, the places in which he painted including the south of France and his manic episodes.

Part Two of the experience is titled 'Everything' which inspires guests to question, well, everything, including existence itself. A haunting voiceover contemplates everything we think we know as humans. Paired so spookily with fast moving, thought-provoking visuals, this part is perhaps the one that has the deepest impact on you.

Part Three lasts just four minutes. 'Journey – A Photon’s Journey in the Eye' is an award winning digital art display which sees viewers/listeners begin from the perspective of a light particle from the moment it approaches the eye until the brain reconstructs it into perceivable forms.

Van Gogh - An Immersive Journey (Roberto Conte)

Each of the three audio-visual experiences leaves its own unique imprint on visitors, with the first giving us a deeper understanding of a name we've always known, the second sending our minds to think where the box isn't even visible and the third taking something so ordinary and showing us how truly magical occurrences are happening at every waking moment.

The tour is completed with a visit to the Infinity Room, an experience that you're likely to see on many a Dublin influencer's Instagram story over the coming weeks.

Infinity Room at Van Gogh - An Immersive Journey at Dublin's RDS (Brian Dillon)

A small room is made up of mirrors that completely surround you. With lights hanging at various lengths from the ceiling changing colours every so often, it is a nice touch of pretty to finish off an overall highly enjoyable experience.

Van Gogh - An Immersive Journey takes place at the RDS until August 4.

Adult tickets cost €28.14, concession tickets are €25.94 and children aged 12 and under go for €17.19. Tickets can be purchased here.

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