It’s Always Spring at Monet’s Garden – Immersion New York

Mar 13, 2023 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Sue Weston and Susan Rosenbluth –  Two Sues On The Aisle

Immersive experiences have become popular as a new way to experience art. A recent addition to immersive art in New York City is Monet’s Garden, a collaboration between the Swiss Creative Labs Immersive Art AG and Alegria Konzert GmbH to transform Monet’s paintings. By adding motion, sound, and smells, the immersive experience elevates Monet’s art into a sensory explosion.  Close your eyes walking through Monet’s Garden, and momentarily feel yourself transported to the French countryside.

Fully Immersive

Monet’s Garden is divided into three parts, the first segment is high touch, letting visitors literally step into the paintings, followed by an informational component, with traditional light sound immersion as the grand finale.

The exhibit begins on the second floor, where with the help of technology visitors can add themselves to his iconic scenes. For technical novices, like us, a staff member is available to provide guidance. The concept is simple. Stand in a circle on the floor, and point your phone at a QR code. Voila, a  picture of you is generated, providing a social media-friendly memory of your visit.

The back wall is devoted to motion, a clever spin on the traditional Monet. Famous works are transformed by the addition of colors –  swirling, spinning, decomposing then reforming on an enormous virtual canvas. There are still-life paintings big enough to walk through, and benches to sit on. Settings designed for photo ops. We walked amid the tapestry of color, inserting ourselves into the scenes, a true immersion.

Green grass covered the ground, flowers covered the walls, and the fresh fragrance of spring filled in the air.  For a moment, we had the sense of being in the arbor and crossing the Japanese bridge covered with wisterias above the waterlilies. We felt as if we were walking through Monet’s Garden.

For the younger at heart there is a drawing room, where you can color a waterlily design. A projector adds your creation to the pond. In a semi-hidden area behind a curtain, your image (alone or with a friend) becomes abstract art projected on the screen.

For those who want information, the walls are lined with glass-enclosed rooms that narrate the story of Monet’s life. Claude Monet (14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and the founder of impressionist painting,  Each room contains black and white pictures, reproductions of his paintings, and a brief history of notable events from Monet’s life.

Immerse in Monet’s Life

Take the escalator down to the first level to the immersive viewing space, and experience a 45-minute exploration of Monet’s life and art. Colors and music interweave, bathing you in Monet’s experimentation with light, shadows, wind, and water, as his art creates an intimacy, a oneness with nature.  The narrator provides context, explaining how Monet began drawing charcoal caricatures. His work evolved under the tutelage of his mentor, Eugéne Boudin.

A parade of Monet’s works cascades across the space, including Women in the Garden featuring his model and future wife Camille, a large-scale piece characterized by the flickers of sunlight that pierce the foliage of the trees to delicate shadows. His painting Lady with a Parasol explores the contrast of light and shadows. The Facade at Sunset shows the cathedral at different times of day exploring the effects of lighting during winter. Each painting exposes another chapter in Monet’s life, and perspective.

During later years, Monet focused on waterlily landscapes which he described as showing “The silence and calm of the water reflecting the flowering display; the tones are vague, deliciously nuanced, as delicate as a dream.”

Great Date Night

We spent the afternoon wandering through Monet’s Garden, exploring the paintings, basking in the tranquility, and soaking in the creativity. Unlike other immersive experiences, this exhibit engaged all our senses, sight, smell, and touch. It even provides an outlet for the tech-savvy.

Monet’s Garden offers a short break from the sights and sounds of the city taking you on a delightful trip to the French countryside, perfect for a date night, or an afternoon getaway.

Monet’s Garden is located at 30 Wall Street in New York City; They are open daily, from 11 AM until 7 PM (with later hours on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday). The New York exhibit has been extended through April 16.

********

Two Sues on the Aisle bases its ratings on how many challahs (1-5) it pays to buy (rather than make) in order to see the play, show, film, or exhibit being reviewed. 

Monet’s Garden received a 4 Challah rating