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Van Gogh: York to host UK projection premiere on artist's work

Chadi Abou Sariya Van Gogh projectionsChadi Abou Sariya
Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience has already been showcased in Belgium and Italy

The UK premiere of an immersive 360-degree projection display inspired by the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh is to be held in York.

More than 200 animated paintings will be projected onto walls, floors and ceilings, allowing people to "step inside" the artist's work.

The 35-minute projection tells the story of the Dutch 19th Century post-impressionist artist and his pieces.

It is the third city to host the event after runs in Naples and Brussels.

Chadi Abou Sariya Van Gogh projectionsChadi Abou Sariya
The display features some of Van Gogh's best-known works, including 1889's The Starry Night

St Mary's Church, Coppergate, will host 'Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience' for six months, from 5 July until 5 January 2020.

The temporary attraction, which has an admission fee, is led by visual entertainment company Exhibition Hub supported by 3D video mapping firm Dirty Monitor.

Chadi Abou Sariya Van Gogh projectionsChadi Abou Sariya
The 35-minute projection was created by Exhibition Hub and Dirty Monitor
Chadi Abou Sariya Photo being taken on a mobile phoneChadi Abou Sariya
The projection will be at St Mary's Church in York for six months

Mario Iacampo, the project's creative director, said: "For so many people, art is inaccessible - paintings hung in galleries where you understand little context about the work.

"This changes that completely, with some of the most famous pieces of art in the world not only shown on a larger than life scale, but actually bringing the images to life with movement that isn't confined to the edges of a picture frame."

Chadi Abou Sariya Van Gogh projectionsChadi Abou Sariya
Walls, floors and ceilings are used as a canvas for the projections

York, which was designated the UK's first UNESCO City of Media Arts in 2014, was selected due to it being "a destination which embraces both its heritage and digital prowess", he added.

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Vincent Van Gogh

  • Born in 1853 in the Dutch village of Zundert
  • Worked as an art dealer and took up painting himself in his 20s but struggled to sell his art
  • Cut off his own ear in 1888 and died from a gunshot wound in July 1890 in an apparent suicide
  • Produced more than 2,000 artworks including about 850 oil paintings
  • In the 20th Century he became regarded as one of the most influential figures in Western art
  • The auction record for a Van Gogh painting stands at $148.9m (£95m) for Portrait of Dr Gachet, which was sold in 1990
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