HTC has now published the Modigliani VR experience, The Ochre Atelier, on Viveport. As a focal point at the Modigliani exhibition currently still in rotation at Tate Modern in London, the experience takes you to the early 20th century Parisian studio of famous painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani.
While Modigliani’s ‘final’ studio still exists in Paris, its appearance has changed significantly over the course of 100 years. To recreate the studio in VR as it was in 1919, London-based developers Preloaded partnered with experts from Tate, whom were armed with extensive research on the subject matter.
Preloaded calls the at-home version a “longer, exploratory version,” in comparison to the experience at Tate. Drawing on extensive archival material and new research surrounding Modigliani, the experience tells his story in a way a simple audio guide and informational placard never could. The Ochre Atelier is now available for download on Viveport here for $2.99.
“You get that sort of gut feeling understanding that you don’t necessarily get from reading about it, or just looking at it in 2D pictures,” said Hilary Knight, Tate’s Head of Digital Content.
“Understanding art is about understanding the painter, the paintings, and also the historical and social contexts. The opportunity we have with virtual reality, and for this experience, has been to try to deliver that in a very short experience that gets you really close to those details,” said Phil Stewart, Creative Director at Preloaded.
As the result of a HTC’s multi-million dollar VR initiative VIVE Arts program, which aims to support content, creators and institutions embracing VR in the arts, The Ochre Atelier is only one of many VR projects. Vive headsets have made their way to exhibitions at museums including London’s Royal Academy of Arts, Taipei’s National Palace Museum, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris, Washington D.C.’s Newseum, and St. Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum.
The Modigliani VR experience can still be viewed at Tate Modern’s Modigliani exhibition until April 2, 2018. You can check out upcoming Vive Art installations here.