Immersive Van Gogh experience hits Belfast

David Williamson

It's a huge ask to visit an exhibit without any works of original art, but the Van Gogh Experience more than delivered on it. It is important to note with a variable ticket price, in my case £22.50 per ticket plus an online delivery fee of £4, the exhibition is not cheap. I need to make my own biases known: Van Gogh is my all-time favourite artist. I will always be more impressed and more easily awed than someone who knows him as ‘that bloke who cut his ear off.’ This is not to boast or sound impressive, but more to make it clear that as glowing of a positive review as this will be, it would take a very poor showing for me to be anything other than impressed.  

That being said, from stepping through the door, immediately it is clear that the VGE has succeeded in its goal of making you feel and see the world in the way that Van Gogh did. Van Gogh was plagued with psychosis and some scholars believe that he was colour blind, and so the immediate assault of colours and noise which hit you can be a little overwhelming. Yet it is an intentional assault of the senses that attempts to make you understand the mental state Van Gogh was in during his final months.  

The exhibit itself is divided into three parts. The first section is the most traditional portion which features replicas of Van Gogh’s work as well as artful recreations of some of his most famous works. This included his many self-portraits being projected over a bust of his face along with a similar set-up for his many painting of flowers. This first section also has an app to make reading the different articles around the gallery easier. I would recommend installing this app before going as I was unable to download it at the gallery.  

The second part of the experience is the jewel in the crown. It is a 360-degree film played on a loop which brings you through much of Van Gogh’s oeuvre. It is very difficult to describe this feature adequately – in transitions between some of his most famous works, your jaw will drop! As well as bringing you through Van Gogh’s work, the experience uses it to bring you through his life. As there are no gaps in the display everyone will enter and leave the experience at a slightly different point. The 45-minute film goes by, for the most part, very quickly, however, in the last few minutes of the loop it does drag a little bit.  Thankfully, there is another real-life recreation of Van Gogh’s work, his bedroom, which I would recommend going into if at any point you need a break.  

Finally, there is the optional VR experience. It is worth noting that this is yet another expense on an already quite pricey exhibit. Despite this, it is yet another absolute triumph as this portion of the exhibit takes you through a fully realised 3D version of Van Gogh’s most famous works. It is the perfect end to an already awe-inspiring exhibit.  

Despite the glowing praise I have given this exhibit, it is still important to acknowledge the cost. As it is located close to the Mater Hospital, it is unlikely that you will be able to find parking nearby which necessitates either the bus or walking to it. By the time a bus fare is considered, and, should you partake in the VR experience, it is likely that you could spend almost thirty pounds per person. Whilst I believe it was worth the cost, it should be a consideration before going to this truly unique exhibit.  

Cover image courtesy of David Williamson


David Williamson is the deputy Comment editor for The Scoop and a third-year PPE student at Queen’s University Belfast.

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