Have you ever dreamt of stepping into a Van Gogh Painting? What would it be like to stand in those sunflowers, under those stars, in those fields of irises? The Van Gogh Immersive Exhibit gives you the opportunity to step into his paintings. As you stand looking inside his master pieces, it gives you the opportunity to also pause and look inside yourself.
A enormous 15,000 square foot screen surrounds you with 360 degree projections of Van Gogh’s images. Sixty thousand frames of video unfold as if you are watching Van Gogh paint. The images grow from a line to tree to a trunk to a sky right before your eyes and you are in it. The color and images embrace you while classical music draws you into the emotions of these great works.
The paintings unfolded almost in a sacred fashion; no one was talking to each other. Colors, music and images all emerged as we lost track of time and place.
As I stood in the room, I noticed many of us had tears. Overwhelm, joy, sadness, awe and wonder brought gentle tears to many faces in the room.
How often do you attend an art exhibit where people are moved to tears? As I watched a friend who is in the midst of deep transition stand in awe, you could tell this experience was touching her very soul.
As I reflected on our experience, it helped me to see that during transitions we sometimes need to look from the inside out. We need to move away from the doing and look inward so we can look outward. Music, art, friendship, quiet, reflection….all can be catalysts to look inward. When we embrace these moments of spaciousness, new insights can emerge.
When we bravely look inward, we see all the vibrancy, color, potential of our life paintings. As John Philip Newell writes in Sacred Earth Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening to What Our Souls Know and Healing the World, we can truly hear our “Soul Voice” speak to us.
What images would you include in your immersive exhibit? The bright, the beautiful, the dark, the lonely, the peaceful, and the energizing. I watched people see the colors of their lives unfold, tears pool up, and then, left in awe and renewed energy. Perhaps, ready to step into their next painting.
What colors will be on your projectors? What music? What images? How can you create this type of space and wonder for yourself during a time of transition?
I’d love to hear what you discover when you make space to look from the inside out.
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