Williamsville, NY (WBEN) Just outside the BFLO store at Eastern Hills Mall, you'll see an ordinary white tent.
Inside is anything but, as those who enter can be immersed in the works of one of the greatest painters ever.
Beyond Van Gogh opens Friday, and David Taylor of Empire State Concerts, the event presenter, says it's a gigantic digital museum.
"There's an education area, a waterfall area, and there's the immersion room, which is an 11,000 square foot room where there will be 300 paintings that morph into each other on the walls and the floor. There are over 4 trillion pixels involved," says Taylor. "The paintings come alive while you're in it."
Taylor says it will not be like a museum experience. "You're going to see almost all of his paintings here at one time. It's not a static image on a wall where you're looking at it and deciphering what he meant. This is all of his artwork in larger than life form, it's like being in a giant kaleidoscope," explains Taylor. "The images blur into one another, they interact with patrons in a way they'll see when they get here."
Taylor says people won't realize the magnitude of what really happens inside the room. "it's not like looking at a television screen, it's like being immersed in his paintings," says Taylor. "You see his brushstrokes in different dimensions and you see something on every inch of the exhibit. You can do a 360 and miss something the first time."
The tent is a 35,000 square foot "Starry Night Pavilion" in front of the BFLO store. It's open from 10am to 10pm Tuesday through Saturday, and 11am to 9pm on Sunday. Tickets are only available online in advance. Taylor says masks are required for both staff and patrons. He estimates the experience will take 60 to 90 minutes.
