Following a year's worth of event replanning and shapeshifting, "Immersive Van Gogh" — a visually-encompassing multimedia exhibit that's become something of a global sensation — is still set to arrive at San Francisco's SVN West (the former Fillmore West) next week. And its SF run will now go until September 6.
Creating and seeing art has remained a panacea for reminding us about our innate human-ness amid a time marked by social isolation, crippling political unrest, and overall echoes of dystopia. (Walking past murals splayed across the plywood boarding up vacant storefronts is a welcomed treat, these days.) All things considered, "Immersive Van Gogh" — which utilizes projection technology, so visitors can step into images like his famous “Starry Night" and “Sunflowers” — is perfectly suited for this moment in history that's heavily relying on mesmeric technologies to make us feel more apart of the world around us.
You can't think about Immersive Art Exhibits without thinking about Massimiliano Siccardi first. He has been pioneering these Immersive digital art for 30 years. https://t.co/i5r7PxAX8w#VanGoghTO #VanGogh #Toronto #ImmersiveVanGogh #LighthouseImmersive #TheOriginal pic.twitter.com/wr7MIhEmm7
— immersive Van Gogh Exhibit (@immersivevango) March 9, 2021
Produced by the team at Lighthouse Immersive, the exhibit will have an almost seven-month run in San Francisco; tickets are still available up until the event's last show date, September 6.
Above all the tech and flashy marketing, the exhibit’s main intent couldn't be simpler: to show the "emotional richness and simple beauty" Gogh displayed in his artworks.
“Despite being unknown throughout his life, van Gogh’s artwork has created a lasting impact through its emotional richness and simple beauty,” said creative director Massimiliano Siccardi in a press release. Per the Chronicle, he and composer Luca Longobardi are eager to bring Gogh’s legacy to life in the Bay Area with the exhibit — a first anywhere along the West Coast.
“We couldn’t think of a more perfect location to bring ‘Immersive Van Gogh’ than San Francisco, one of the world’s leading destinations for art and culture,” said Corey Ross, Lighthouse Immersive co-producer, per the newspaper. “Rich in musical history, SVN West was once home to Bill Graham’s legendary Fillmore West and the infamous psychedelic liquid light shows of the late 1960s that combined projections and music.”
Much like other nearby culture hubs (like SFMOMA), Lighthouse has implemented strict COVID-19 safety protocols that must be followed throughout the walk-through attraction.
Admission capacities will be capped to abide by current City capacity guidelines — which currently allows 25% of audience limits. The exhibit will also have multiple hand sanitation stations and hands-free ticket vending; attraction-goers will also need to submit to having their temperatures checked before entering and wear appropriate face coverings while inside the space; "digitally projected" social distancing circles will be displayed on the ground — harkening to the ones now popular in SF parks, like Mission Dolores.
To purchase tickets ($40 to $50 per person) for "Immersive Van Gogh," as well as to learn more about the one-of-a-kind attraction (including the COVID-19 safety guidelines Lighthouse is enforcing), visit vangoghsf.com.
Related: SFMOMA Reopens This Weekend With Pandemic-Themed Exhibit; deYoung Reopens With 'Calder-Picasso'
Image: Guests attend the Australian premiere of Van Gogh Alive at Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park on September 17, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. Van Gogh Alive is a large-scale, multi-sensory experience that has visited over 50 cities around the world. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)