S. Korea
22:53, 30-Dec-2017
Impressionist paintings come to life in S. Korea's first high-tech art museum
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Remember the living portraits in Harry Potter? Well, S. Korea’s first high-tech art museum has turned fiction into reality.
Famous Impressionist paintings come alive at the museum in Seoul, where visitors can watch Degas' ballerinas twirl and Monet's water lilies bloom before their very eyes.
Visitors are transported from the streets of Seoul to 19th century Paris, where scenes of cafes and street life come alive just as they were painted by masters of the Impressionist and post-Impressionist movements, known for their use of color, depiction of light and visible brush strokes.
The center features more than 170 renowned Impressionist paintings, which are given life with the help of high-tech 3D imaging, holographic projections and artificial intelligence.
Some animated characters of famous paintings, such as Van Gogh himself, can interact with visitors and officials say their conversation ability will gradually improve as the dialogue databases increase. Visitors can not only imagine walking down the avenue of Van Gogh's famous "Cafe Terrance" in the French city of Arles, but a holographic Van Gogh also tells some of the stories behind his famous artwork.
The center, which is divided into five sections, has one area dedicated to Monet. Themed "Monet’s Garden," paintings from the French artist’s famous "Water Lilies" series are projected on a 360-degree circular screen. The exhibit is a feast for the senses as the room is scented with the perfume of flowers, and visitors can even hear the sound of birds chirping while the lilies blossom below their feet.
Construction of the high-tech art experience museum, which occupies 1,400 square meters, took seven years to complete at a cost of 15 billion won (about 14 million US dollars). Branches of the museum are expected to be built in other S. Korean cities.