Van Gogh Experience 1
As Mad as Van Gogh: The Artist & I
The Van Gogh Immersive Experience, London 2024
I fell in love with Van Gogh’s Starry Night (1889) when I found this quote:
‘I often think that the night is more alive
and more richly coloured than the day.’
— Vincent Van Gogh.
Back in 2022, I visited the Van Gogh Immersive Experience in London. In what looked like an abandoned building, we walked into a dark, dream-like space, lit with soft blues. Projections of the variations of Starry Night filled the walls and, through a narrator’s voice, we learned that Van Gogh produced these revolutionary works during his time at the insane asylum in Arles.
We walked further, through the vibrant colours of sunflowers, wheatfields, and country landscapes. Then there was a gallery section dedicated to his self-portraits showing how they became more abstract as time went on. Next, we ‘stepped into’ the painting The Bedroom (1888). It felt hugely intimate standing next to the single bed. I felt as though I was looking at Van Gogh’s inner child, because of the simple, bright colours.
I was shocked to discover how hard Van Gogh’s life was. He suffered from epilepsy, but as this was not a condition known to medicine at the time, he was seen as insane. He also experienced hallucinations and heard negative voices in his head which eventually drove him to cut off his ear.
Throughout the exhibition, I felt like I had travelled back in time into Van Gogh’s world and grew closer to him, particularly in the final section. In a large white room, underneath a timeline of artwork projected onto the walls and floor, we lay on our backs for an hour in a state of semi-meditation.
I reflected on how fortunate I am to live in a society that offers support for mental struggles. Like Van Gogh, I have also felt ‘other’ for a large part of my life, being labelled as eccentric and excluded from friendship groups at university and school. People fail to look past my weirdness so I struggle to make friends and I have been bullied. I feel like I too would have been labelled as mad if I had lived in his time.
When Van Gogh said, ‘I try more and more to be myself, caring relatively little whether people approve or disapprove’ , I knew exactly what he meant. He fully embraced who he was, and like him, I explore the things I love without caring what others think.
We also learned that his brother Theo supported him for his whole career, and I was grateful that similarly I had my grandfather who supported me in everything. He too was an eccentric, and he shaped me into the person I am today.
He gave me the confidence to like whatever makes me happy and if people think I am weird and fail to get to know me, then that is their loss!
Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience in London is a 360º digital art exhibit that invites you to step into the universe of the Dutch genius, Vincent van Gogh. Experience his most famous works, such as The Starry Night and Sunflowers, in a whole new way. Get your tickets now!
vangoghexpo.com