I have been dying to talk about the Van Gogh Immersive experience since 2019, but COVID put the brakes on that for a few years. I was lucky enough to attend the Van Gogh experience in Montreal in 2019 and believe me, it is an entirely immersive experience. It changes how we view and experience art and culture. Let me explain.

Imagine if you could bathe in a world—not your own, but through the lens of Van Gogh. Designed by Annabelle Mauger and Julien Baron, the experience builds on technology and ideas from the ’60s by filmmaker and photographer Albert Plécy.

Examining different filming techniques, Plécy set out to create a means that passively immerses the viewer. Instead of the viewer looking up on an image, the image attracts and draws in the viewer, renouncing their thoughts on viewing within their defined experience. Instead, the digital imagery creates an experience around the viewer. Sound synchronizes to the paintings and drawings. The imagery is not simply in front of you but surrounds you like a blanket. It is on every wall, floor, in front and behind, at different angles and everywhere you look.