Date/Time: Wednesday, 8th January 2025 at 12:00 - 14:00
Location: Commercial 106, 106 Commercial Street, London, E1 6LZ
Price:
For 65 and over: £16 per person. Member and guest £32.
Under 65: £20 per person
Event Organiser: Harvey Schonfeld. 4 Rosslea, Windlesham GU20 6PS
The exhibition is in part of The Old Truman Brewery, a building now known as Commercial 106, in London’s East End. It’s an atmospheric former 19th-century stable, just around the corner from Aldgate East tube and close to the hipster hubs of Shoreditch and Brick Lane.
Van Gogh created over two thousand works of art in his tragically short life of 37 years, and many of the most famous were created in the countryside around Arles, a beautiful town in the south of France situated on the river Rhōne. There is a charming 3D recreation of the ‘Bedroom in Arles’ but to get the full Arles experience there is an opportunity to take an amazing 10 minute 360 degree Virtual Reality (VR) trip through the Arles house as well as the town. This “day in the life of the artist” is a truly magical experience – you get to float through the house and the landscape with the views that inspired paintings such as Vincent’s Bedroom at Arles, and Starry Night Over The Rhone River being presented in frames as you pass by.
The other highlight is a large immersive room with the audience sitting on deckchairs. Scenes from the paintings unfold in front of you ranging from the sublimely beautiful to a trippy sequence inspired by the paintings Van Gogh made while in the asylum. With a well-chosen accompanying soundtrack it’s a truly mind-blowing experience!
The exhibition features a timeline of Van Gogh’s life, some informative videos and an ingenious 3D vase overlayed with projections of flowers that morph into one another. It doesn’t shy away from dealing with difficult topics such as Van Gogh’s mental illness but is also extremely illuminating in the way it explains the implications of his colour blindness on the work and his friendship with Gaugin.
VR Experience Notes
Guests with a pacemaker will not be able to experience the VR portion of this event.
To avoid disappointment VR headsets are not recommended for those with magnetic hearing aids.
For further information, see www.vangoghexpo.com/london.
Accessibility
The exhibition is only wheelchair accessible on the ground floor, due to the listed status of the building. This gives access to the Tea Station, Gift Shop and the Immersive Room and the (not wheelchair friendly) toilets.
Timing and Places
The exhibition takes about 90 minutes to view.
We have 14 tickets available for 12:00 entry and another 14 for 12:30. You will be advised which time you have been allocated when your booking is confirmed.
Additional Booking Information
Enter the number of people attending aged under 65 in response to this question.
Note: The price quoted in your confirmation email will be based on all attendees being aged 65 or over. Your request for payment will be priced depending on the number of under 65s attending.
Event Booking
Please note that all bookings are subject to our Event Booking Rules.
The standard, printable event booking sheet is downloadable here.