MONA LISA VR PROJECT
Emissive creates the first Virtual Reality experience at the Louvre in partnership with HTC Vive Arts.
To commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci in France, the Louvre is preparing a unique retrospective of da Vinci’s artistic career, opening to the public on October 24th 2019. As part of this landmark exhibition, the Louvre will present its first virtual reality (VR) experience, in partnership with HTC VIVE Arts and Emissive, which will bring to life the story of the Mona Lisa, da Vinci’s most famous masterpiece.
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The experience we developed is targeted for both the curious mind and the art connoisseur. At the end of the virtual reality session, visitors will understand why Mona Lisa is the world’s most famous artwork. This VR experience is also a way to create a strong emotional connection with the character of Mona Lisa.
Fabien Barati, Emissive’s CEO
A gigantic amount of research
Designing this multi-sensory experience required extensive research to separate myths from reality around the Mona Lisa. In addition to the emotional connection we want to create, we want to give verified and accurate information about the painting, not mere speculations.
Through the “Beyond the glass” VR experience, visitors will be able to get very close to the painting and see details invisible to the naked eye. Thanks to the latest scientific research, the experience highlights the various techniques used by Da Vinci in his creation process and gives lots of information about the model’s identity. Participants will be able to discover the secrets of an artwork that remains the most fascinating masterpiece ever created.
VR strengthens the link between art and the public
In museums like everywhere else, people are seeking emotions, they want to be entertained, to be immersed, to enjoy a customized visit that they can share. VR has obviously a big part to play in this. It is not only innovative; it completely changes the way people access culture. VR is a very efficient way to engage people. With VR, we understand and memorize better while connecting to art on an emotional level. It is also a way to attract a new kind of public. It opens culture to a broader audience.
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Here at Emissive we’ve had the chance to work on many cultural experiences in Virtual Reality like The Enemy, Paris 3D and Scan Pyramids VR and it gave us the desire to dedicate more resources and energy to these kinds of projects. It was therefore logical for us to launch a dedicated division of the company “Emissive Exhibitions” to facilitate the hosting of VR experiences in cultural venues.
Emmanuel Guerriero, Co-founder of Emissive