Aren’t all art experiences immersive? The terminology though has acquired a distinctive connotation, speared by amalgamation of technology and digital art. Immersive art has gained traction over the last few years, largely fuelled by innovation and ever-growing reach of technology in art.
It now alludes to an almost full-body experience, whereby viewers / patrons are engaging with art through sight, sound and in some cases touch and smell. One of the main reasons for discussing this on this platform is that this extra-sensory experience through technology is making it possible to experience art in a completely new way.
Immersion in any sphere can allow a person to experience something outside of their immediate reality and thought process. Yayoi Kusama describes this process as “self-obliteration”, alluding to the strange phenomena of losing oneself within something ‘greater’ , while at the same time accessing it, within an artwork.
The popularity of creating immersive / ‘consumer art’ spaces is expected to grow, since it has obviously hit a chord with the visitors, with new museums and traveling showg providing innovative experiences. Possibly a sign of the times – integrating art, digital shows, technology and of course the ability to communicate through social media.
One of the most successful show - ‘Immersive Van Gogh’ - has had popular showing in Europe and is now taking the US by storm, with tickets being sold to packed viewings. Competing companies have taken up this project, since Van Gogh works reproduction don’t have copyright rights.
At least three companies are bringing the ‘Van Gogh expereince’ to the public in 13 cities in the US alone. Some of the companies creating this are “Immersive Van Gogh”, connected to Massimiliano Siccardi, the Italian director behind the Atelier des Lumières experience, and “Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience”, an entirely different light show produced by a company called Fever.
Culturespaces, a Paris based company and original creator of Immersive Van Gogh, backed by IMG – a marketing behemoth – is also planning to present the high-tech versions of Gustav Klimt, Claude Money and other masters. Its Atelier des Lumieres has drawn over 3 million visitors in Paris since setting shop in 2018 (with two years of pandemic in the middle).
Taking this trend, a step further, Fotografsika (a for profit Swedish museum) has plans to open additional museums to capitalise on the popularity of its immersive arts spaces currently in Stockholm, Tallinn and New York. Three new spaces are planned in Miami, Berlin and Shanghai between 2022 and 2023. The permanent spaces will include immersive art, curated shops and high-end restaurants and café.
One of the most notable mentions is teamLab, an international collective of artists, technology professionals, animators, mathematicians and architects, founded in Tokyo by Toshiyuki Inoko. This unique group has been at the forefront of creating new immersive experiences, synthesising the vision of artists with some of the most high-tech installations and experiences. The success of teamLab’s efforts have resulted in permanent spaces teamLab Borderless in Tokyo (June 2018), Shanghai (November 2019) and Macao (June 2020), with another planned for Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) in 2023.
teamLab Borderless becomes the most visited museum in the world (https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190808005373/en/teamLab-Borderless-Becomes-the-Most-Visited-Single-Artist-Museum-in-the-World.)
This growing overlap of arts, technology, entertainment, retail and hospitality will possibly expand to other destinations which have traditionally been the arts / cultural centres in Asia and Middle East.
While the entire enterprise might seem to be clever marketing ploy and an easy business idea – what remains interesting is the basic fascination with the need to experience arts, and how a digital experience facilitates this for the generation that primarily interacts with Instagram and ‘post-able experiences.
We don’t have anything on this to report for India at this time. Art remains in the staid confines of galleries and largely lacklustre exhibitions.
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