52 New: #24 Beyond Van Gogh The Immersive Experience

July 30, 2021

I'm almost half way through my year of "new things". This week I took the boys and my grandma, who is in town visiting from Arizona, to Beyond Van Gogh The Immersive Experience. Together, we all experienced something new. Right on the heels of last weeks recreating Van Gogh's Sunflower painting, Zach and I were really interested in seeing what all the excitement was about surrounding this traveling exhibit. We were not disappointed.

When I first found out about the Van Gogh Experience coming to Honolulu in July, I hoped it would coincide with the visit my grandma was planning to make. Once the dates were locked in, I was able to go online and book our tickets. The Experience I booked was for the morning, I wanted to start the day with something new and innovative. The Honolulu Beyond Van Gogh is being held at The Hawai'i Convention Center near Ala Moana Center and on the edge of Waikiki. Upon entering, temperature checks and Covid protocols are underway. We stood in a social distanced line where we waited for our turn to start the Experience. Ground rules included: wearing a mask, no sitting on the floor, and turning off the flash on your phone/camera.

Once we headed inside, we were free to wander and remain in each of the three rooms of the Experience as long as we wanted. The first part of the Experience is a series of hanging signs with various Van Gogh facts, history, excerpts from letters, and quotes. Each of the placards lays the groundwork for understanding Van Gogh as a person and not just the tortured, misunderstood artist that tends to be his reputation.

The second room you enter is reminiscent of a laser light show. There is music playing in a big, tall, dark room with computer graphic art starting at the ceiling and moving down the wall and towards the floor. We had quickly gone from the history class first room to the psychedelic art school second room. It tingled all of my senses.

The third and last room of the Experience was definitely the grand finale. This final room is where we spent the majority of our time, immersing ourselves in the famous and not so famous works of Van Gogh. There was so much to see. So much to hear. So many places for your eyes and imagination to wander. I loved it.

The Experience was done in a way that captivated audiences of all types. Three generations of my family enjoyed this immersive experience---aged (almost) ten all the way to eighty-five with stops at (almost) eighteen and forty-five. We all had a different take away. As a budding artist himself, Zach tuned into the technique Van Gogh used. As a teen who isn't much for museums, Gabe found beauty in the works centered in nature. As an avid museum goer, my grandma took pictures and read every slide, sign, and informative literature available. As a lover of all things colorful and new, I felt like I was breathing in Van Gogh. I would like more artistic exhibits like this! I had Van Gogh from head to toe. It was on my skin, in the air, on the walls, in our ears. We were surrounded. We were immersed.

The Experience is a limited time engagement. I would highly recommend checking it out while it's in Honolulu or in the nearest location to you. Bring your camera, your curiosity, your friends and kids.