Beyond the Frame: Virtual Reality and Art

Booster Blog

beyond the frame

Ever found yourself gazing into a painting, wanting to delve deeper into the mind of the artist? Or wishing you could explore the world created by the brush of the painter? The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida has responded to those wishes and created a virtual experience which explores the work of Dali.

Of all the paintings to enter, works by Salvador Dali must be some of the most fascinating and surreal. Visitors of the “Disney and Dali: Architects of the Imagination” exhibition are invited to explore his famous work “Archeological Reminiscence of Millet’s ‘Angelus’,”, beyond the limitations of the frame. Equipped with Oculus Rift headsets, the observer is taken on a journey through the desolate landscape.

The 3D exploration was designed by the team at Goodby Silverstein & Partners with modeling, lighting and texturing tools similar to those used in game development. The gaze-based navigation allows you to freely explore the landscape where you may discover some interesting additions that the team have made to the piece.

This painting in particular was chosen for the perspectives it offers. “Archeological Reminiscence of Millet’s ‘Angelus’,”, is based upon the work of Jean-François Millet, in which two peasants stand in a field praying over a basket of potatoes. In Dali’s reanimation, the peasants stand as huge towering stone structures surrounded by vast desert. At the forefront of the picture is a man standing with a child as they stare up at the statues. The man and the child represent Dali and his father, and on the virtual journey through this famous piece, we momentarily merge with their perspective; staring up at the stone structures.

The viewpoint continues to take us through the dreamy wilderness, scaling up the statues and beyond, where we see Dali’s famous elephants, as well as other references to his life’s work.

The exhibition runs until June 12, but fear not; those who cannot make it to Florida can catch a glimpse of the experience in a video that displays the immersive journey into surrealism.