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Questions for the creators

Why did you choose Van Gogh? What is your general impression of the artist?
A.M.: Van Gogh is an expressionist painter. He’s not looking to show the world as it is, but rather to express it. This framework is used throughout many themes in his paintings, where he’s not afraid to go to the point of distorting certain features. We wanted to highlight the details of his canvases, such as The Starry Night, which was magnified by a precise division of the painting, accentuating its movements and the isolation of its stars. We also wished to highlight perspective by isolating, for example, each element in his Bedroom in Arles. The result becomes an enchanting fiction that explodes across the projection surface.

 

Why focus on the period from 1888-1890?
A.M.: Because it is in Provence that he finally embraced the sun and allowed it to light up his interpretations of nature, portraits and even still lifes. His palette of colours exploded, his strokes became vigorous and his composition audacious. From this perspective, the Auvers-sur-Oise period can be viewed as a continuation, opening the path to modernity and the beginnings of contemporary abstraction.

 

Will we see his complete set of works from this period? If not, how did you make the selection?
A.M.: We can’t possibly know them all, there are so many! We created a sample representing what we wanted to show in his work. Imagine Van Gogh is a journey, it is the path of the painter, from Provence to the edge of Paris known as Auvers-sur-Oise. It is in parallel with the path of each visitor, who finds their apotheosis in this exhibition.

 

Why did you incorporate music?
A.M.: The music facilitates the connection between viewer and image. It surrounds them, allowing them to be more easily immersed in the exhibition. It provides a sonic companion to the visual narration by means of its rhythm, reinforcing the emotional context.

 

On which criteria did you base your musical selection?
J.B.: Certain choices were guided by their contemporaneity with the artist, such as the works of Camille Saint-Saëns. Others were based on emotion, or an instrument playing solo such as Bach’s cello suite.

 

You speak of an “Immersive cultural exhibition,” and “multiple video projections.” What exactly is happening from a technical standpoint?
J.B : – Imagine Van Gogh uses advanced techniques of multi-projection and immersive audio, enabling the viewer to dive deep into the heart of Van Gogh’s works. More than 50 HD video projectors illuminate twenty screens, revealing the architecture distributed in the immersive space. In this way, spectators can wander in the middle of the images and discover new readings of the painter’s creations, thanks to the originality of their presentation. Music from great composers, such as Saint-Saëns, Mozart, Bach and Satie, reinforces the immersive experience and amplifies the emotional impact of the visuals tenfold.

 

What are the requirements of such a concept?
J.B.: For an installation of this magnitude, the combined area of all projection surfaces is enormous. On a technical level, it is necessary to ensure the synchronization of the multichannel music with 52 video projectors managing HD content. Our multimedia servers benefit from the latest technologies in terms of processors, hard drives and obviously graphics cards.

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