Visitors to the PBS studios in Boynton Beach are immersed in and interact with The Last Supper, one of the classic Leonardo da Vinci works brought to life in Da Vinci — An Immersive Art Experience. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Unprecedented exhibition in Boynton Beach dedicated to the work of the famed artist
By Brian Biggane
“The thing that was given to me by the universe is the chance to question it.”
— Leonardo da Vinci
Perhaps no one in history has questioned the laws of the universe more often or more successfully than Leonardo da Vinci, a giant of the Renaissance whose life and works are celebrated in an exhibit titled Da Vinci — An Immersive Art Experience, running through April at the WLRN building in Boynton Beach.
Da Vinci (1452-1519) is probably best known for his painting of Mona Lisa that hangs in the Louvre in Paris, as well as his depiction of the Last Supper, in which he shows the multitude of emotions on the faces of the Apostles moments after Jesus said one of them was about to betray him.
But his intellect transcended being a painter. He was a sculptor, engineer, geophysicist, astronomer and much more. He was the first to conceptualize building a flying machine and did so, making a primitive airplane that stayed above ground for one kilometer more than 400 years before the Wright brothers accomplished the same feat.
The presentation at the PBS studio, which is in the midst of a construction project scheduled for completion next fall, is the exhibit’s first stop on a U.S. tour after it debuted in Berlin and Amsterdam. It is also the first exhibit at the studio, which going forward plans two such shows per year, each lasting six months. This one began in November.
“There’s been a curiosity about da Vinci, and wanting to know even more,” said Sadah Proctor, who joined WLRN as director of immersive media over the summer. “That’s influenced us to find other ways to share about (him). The overall response has been very positive.”
“It was very, very interesting,” Jupiter resident Beth Rockroff said after leaving the 75-minute presentation. “Very, very colorful, and creative.”
“I thought it was fabulous,” added her friend Ellen Brownstein, also of Jupiter. “I loved all the colors.”
Profile of a Warrior in Helmet is one of dozens of works by da Vinci featured in the multimedia exhibit.
Marketing and Event Manager Heather Strum said as of mid-December the show had already been viewed by more than 9,000 visitors and 68 school classes and is selling out weeks ahead of schedule, with four showings a day.
The show, which complements a three-part series on da Vinci by legendary filmmaker Ken Burns that is available on PBS and Amazon Prime, begins with a 15-minute video giving a brief summary of da Vinci’s life and accomplishments with commentary from experts.
After another brief video welcome from CEO Dolores Fernandez Alonso on the station’s history and future plans, guests are ushered into a 2,700-square-foot room with three large video screens. A mirror on a cube encompasses the middle of the room, and a multimedia mix of sound and lights can sometimes overwhelm the eyes and ears during the show’s 46-minute run time.
The production was designed and engineered by two award-winning companies, Phoenix Immersive and flora&faunavisions, with a soundtrack composed by electronic music legend Sasha.
As lights cascade around the room with images of da Vinci’s works and accomplishments appearing and disappearing, the show occasionally becomes interactive, with viewers able to spread light by moving their hands across walls or placing a hand against a handprint on a wall to send streams of light off in different directions.
“Da Vinci Genius is the award-winning next generation of immersive experiences,” reads a text block prepared by Phoenix Immersive on a board in the tent that serves as a lobby. “Explore da Vinci’s world from a completely new perspective.”
Visitors are immersed in da Vinci works, which are projected across the floors, walls and ceiling.
As with pretty much every show that’s ever been presented, not everyone comes away impressed.
“I was kind of disappointed because it was basically a very clever graphic arts presentation,” said Harry Berkowitz, of Boynton Beach. “And he didn’t have computers in those days.”
“It’s not what I expected,” added his wife, Sheila. “I thought it would be more into art.”
But Vernon Thornton, of Wellington, saw value in the presentation.
“It was an experience, more than anything I would learn in a museum or read about,” he said. “It attempted to get me into his mind and how he works out the relations between things. And I felt it a bit.”
At the conclusion of the multimedia presentation, visitors are encouraged to take a 15-minute visit into a workroom full of artifacts featuring interactive stops — such as having a conversation with Mona Lisa, keyboards designed to play music of that period or papers that show how to draw eyes the way da Vinci did.
“We had our director of creative services, Norman Silva, design the room and create a modern-day workshop that taps into some of the neuro arts aspects of da Vinci’s work,” Proctor said.
If You Go
What: Da Vinci — An Immersive Art Experience
When: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through April; closed Mondays.
Where: WLRN studios, 3401 S. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach
Tickets: southfloridapbs.org/davinci. Adults $35 plus fees, students and seniors $28, 12-under free.
Parking: Free on site.
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