By Kathryn Lane
Houston hosted Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience.
Not to miss an important event, Bob and I attended with friends from Angel
Fire. So many exhibits are hyped up that we did not know what to expect. Then we
left talking about what an amazing show we’d witnessed.
First, you glimpse blowups of Vincent’s paintings that come together though electronic enhancement as you watch. Another room provides photo ops were you can sit in Vincent’s bedroom in Arles and have your picture taken.
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| Watch as Starry Night comes together electronically |
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| Immersion Room with waiting beach chairs. |
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| In the Immersion room, don't sit where the train will roar through. |
The show's real clencher is the interactive historical journey that virtual reality takes you on as you travel through Vincent’s fields, towns, and cafés. This visually fabulous trip takes ten minutes. At times I had to remind myself I was not flying. I was merely sitting on a sturdy chair as we swooped past cafés and buildings, fields, country roads, and chapels. It’s a combination of cinematography, art, music, and history where you are the observer.
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| The author, her husband, and friends with virtual reality headsets. |
Now that I’ve exuberantly told you about the Immersive experience, I must also tell you I’m not getting a commission for tickets sales. But you should definitely attend if it’s showing anywhere near you.
The real reason that I’m recounting the visit is that this show
gives you an incredible ride, but where it might fail is to engage your brain
actively, where your own imagination, intellect, and creativity work together
to connect the dots.
Maybe by experiencing projections of virtual reality in the future, the human brain will be liberated to create even more sensational innovations. At least that is my hope.
At times, it’s easy for negative thoughts to surface. Thoughts that younger generations are not reading much and that the coming metaverse will create a world where people will not have to solve issues; instead they might only passively partake the virtual world placed before them.
Shows like Van Gogh’s Immersive, social media, and virtual
meetings using avatars are the beginnings of the metaverse. These phenomena will
change the world.
AVATAR
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| Harry Potter Book |
As a writer, I think the coming technologies are both exciting and
scary. The creative opportunities promised by the metaverse seem exciting. On the
other hand, the metaverse will deliver powerful tools that will change how
stories are told. Will children in the future want to read Harry
Potter when they can experience it through virtual reality? Will people know
what their co-workers look like when all they see at virtual meetings are avatars?
And what about nature lovers? Will they don a headset to enjoy virtual nature
or will they commune with nature the old-fashioned way?
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What do you think about the metaverse?
Kathryn’s mysteries – The Nikki
Garcia Mystery series:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B08C7V2675/ref=dp_st_1942428944
Kathryn’s short story collection – Backyard
Volcano and Other Mysteries of the Heart
https://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Volcano-Other-Mysteries-Heart/dp/1943306044
All available on Amazon
About Kathryn
Kathryn Lane started out as a starving
artist. To earn a living, she became a certified public accountant and embarked
on a career in international finance with a major multinational corporation.
After two decades, she left the corporate world to plunge into writing mystery
and suspense thrillers. In her stories, Kathryn draws deeply from her Mexican background as well as her travels
in over ninety countries.
Visit my website at https://www.Kathryn-Lane.com
Photo
credits:
All photographs are used in an editorial or educational manner
Starry Night by Van Gogh - public domain
Two Immersion Room photos - taken by the author
Four people with virtual reality headsets - taken with an iPhone
Avatar and Harry Potter book - public domain
