IMMERSIVE VAN GOGH: LOS ANGELES

52 Places to Go: Week 42

Last week, Art and I went to the Los Angeles installation of the Immersive Van Gogh show--a distinctly Hollywood experience, dazzling, fascinating, and nothing like viewing Van Gogh’s art in a museum, where the art stays firmly in place on the walls. At the theater/gallery for the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit on Sunset Boulevard, light projections of Van Gogh’s art swirled around us–on the four walls of the room, reflected in mirrors, on the floor, and on us, all to the beat of surround sound music–while we sat inside our designated socially distanced circles, masks on. It was like being inside a giant kaleidoscope.

The show, which repeats about every 45 minutes, roughly follows the course of Van Gogh’s life, from his early paintings like The Potato Eaters, to his final super productive phase, including Starry Night. We sat through the show twice–the first time just in awe and absorbing the experience, the second time admiring again, taking more pictures, and changing our position in the room to see the art from a different angle.

The show invites viewers to step into Van Gogh’s paintings and become part of the scene–to sit at the table with the potato eaters, to join a street scene in Arles, to look the artist in the eye in his self-portraits, to fly with crows over a wheat field in Southern France.

In one sequence, we join the artist’s process as the pieces of furniture in his bedroom are drawn, colored, and placed in the room. And because the paintings are magnified on such a huge scale, one can see and appreciate every brush stroke.

Everyone who is familiar with Van Gogh’s art will recognize the images on the walls–irises, sunflowers, windmills, an absinthe drinker, stars in the sky–as they morph seamlessly from one scene to the next. It was hard to stop taking photos. And yet, the photos capture mere transient moments in the exhibit because the images are constantly moving. (We also took some short videos, but even those are only an approximation of the actual experience.)

Immersive Van Gogh is an elaborate production. It was designed and conceived by Massimiliano Siccardi, with soundtrack by Luca Longobardi, who both pioneered immersive digital art experiences in France. The show has been seen in Paris, Toronto, and has been or will be shown in twenty American cities. (Click on the Choose Your City button on the website to find out when it will be near you.)

In the room just outside the exhibit, a short summary of Van Gogh’s life is presented–The Seasons of Vincent Van Gogh: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall–with critical facts and dates (born 1853, died 1890.) There is also a sculpture created from the hundreds of letters that Van Gogh wrote. When you leave the show, you exit through the gift shop, where you can purchase all sorts of Van Gogh themed items including books about his life. But the main draw is the exhibit itself, unlike any other art show I’ve ever attended.

Immersive Van Gogh is a good Covid outing--everyone wears masks and keeps their social distance. Tickets are for timed entry, limiting the number of people inside at one time. Our tickets were for 10:00 on a Sunday morning. We did not have to stand in line to get in, but when we came out, there was a long line of people waiting. There are different levels of tickets. Ours included seat cushions (especially useful for sitting on the floor) and when we exited, we exchanged our cushions for a free poster of Van Gogh to take home. 

Before you enter the exhibit, you can take a selfie in front of this enlarged portrait of Vincent Van Gogh.

WATCHING THE STARS at the GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY, Los Angeles, CA

Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, CA

The Griffith Observatory sits high on a hill above the city of Los Angeles, its white walls and domed roofs visible from miles away. It is the ideal place to get a panoramic view of the city and to watch and learn about the stars–the real ones, not the movie variety.

City view from the Promenade Walkway of the Observatory

The Griffith Observatory in Griffith Park is one of the premier public observatories in the world. Griffith J. Griffith wanted the public to have the opportunity to look through a telescope, which he felt might broaden human perspective. Mounted in the copper-clad domes on either end of the building, the Zeiss and solar telescopes are free to the public every day and night the sky is clear.

Jennifer and me, in front of the Observatory. The Griffith Observatory opened to the public on May 14, 1935

When my daughter Jennifer was in high school and college, she worked as a guide at the Observatory. She was in town last summer with her family, so we decided to spend an afternoon there.

Astronomer's Monument and Sun Dial on plaza in front of the Observatory

Traffic and parking are always a challenge near the Observatory, so we parked along the road near the Greek Theater. We then ate a picnic lunch on the grass before heading up the hill, about a mile’s walk. One can also get to the top by riding one of the free shuttle buses that stop across the road from the Greek Theater.

Foucault's Pendulum

Just inside the main door of the Observatory is Foucault’s pendulum, a heavy ball that swings in an arc following the Earth’s rotation. It is a favorite exhibit at the Observatory. Visitors crowd around the railing around the pit, waiting to see the ball knock over a peg every few minutes.
The 240-pound brass ball moves back and forth on a 40-foot steel cable suspended from the dome. At Los Angeles' latitude, it takes 42 hours for the pendulum to complete a circle as the earth beneath it rotates. The movement is visually represented by small wooden dowels that are knocked over one at a time by a pointer on the bottom of the ball.

Tesla Coil

Another favorite Observatory exhibit is the Tesla coil. When it turns on, giant flashes of light explode as electricity flows into the air of the chamber.
During our visit we looked at dozens of other exhibits as well, learning about the sun, moon, planets and things astronomical. We ended our stay with a live show in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium, settling into the comfortable reclining seats for the show. (Tickets for the shows can only be purchased at the Observatory on the day of the show.)
It was a great family outing and opportunity for our grandchildren to see where their mother had worked when she was just a little older than they are now.
Admission to the Griffith Observatory and Grounds is FREE. For more information click HERE.

North Doors of the Observatory