If you are a lover of Van Gogh’s painting then this is an amazing way to immerse yourself in his work and see his paintings in a way you have never seen them before.
What to expect:
St Mary’s Church has been transformed from a church in to a 360 Van Gogh painting set to beautiful music and sounds. The main area of the church has deck chairs and benches for you to pick your spot and sit back and enjoy the experience. The projection lasts about 35 minutes and is on a loop so you can enter at any point and watch until you get back to the part you have already seen. The projection also moves around the room so it doesn’t matter where you sit, you’ll get to see it all.
The second part of the experience is an optional VR experience and an exhibition of some of Van Gogh’s work and information about his life and work and an opportunity to colour in your own work of art and have it projected on the wall.
The VR experience has an additional charge of £3 and takes you through a day in Van Gogh’s life in Arles and some of the spots that he painted. It’s worth paying the extra for and we both really enjoyed it.
Finally there is a small gift shop for all your Van Gogh related needs.
Tickets:
Tickets are available to book online here or you can buy them on the door subject to availability. There’s no need to pre-book the VR experience.
Location:
Van Gogh – The Immersive Experience is located in the Coppergate Shopping Centre next to the Jorvik Centre.
There is also a Van Gogh – The Immersive Experience in Leicester.
Accessibility:
The Experience offers SEN sessions with less people and quieter music. The venue also has wheelchair access.
Our thoughts:
We visited after we had been to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam and Pip had been learning about Van Gogh’s paintings at school. She loved looking out for the paintings that she knew and recognised. 35 minutes was a good length for the projection as it held her interest, it was also a relaxed experience. We really enjoyed the VR experience and colouring in our own Van Gogh painting.
We visited in March 2022 when Pip was 9.
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