Madrid, May 28 (EFE).- Becoming the Dutch painter Rembrandt and tasting tapas inspired by the art of ‘chiaroscuro’ (Italian for ‘light-dark’) is now possible thanks to a ‘360’ immersive experience in central Madrid that combines new technologies, gastronomy and classical art.
From May 29 to June 15, “Inside the Gaze” pays tribute to the legacy of the Dutch master Rembrandt (1606-1669) with an interactive exhibition in which visitors can put themselves in the painter’s shoes and, thanks to artificial intelligence, have their own likeness featured in one of his most acclaimed works, “Self-portrait with cap and two chains”.
This is the fifth edition of “Art Vivant”, a collaborative initiative by the Thyssen Museum with the hotel chain Meliá, which sees some of the museum’s iconic works taken to the streets – in this case to the garden of the Hotel Palacio de los Duques, in the heart of the Spanish capital.
“The magic of this exhibition is not only to have a work in collaboration with the Thyssen in this garden, in this ‘oasis’ of the Palacio de los Duques, but visitors can become Rembrandt because they can take that ‘chiaroscuro’ self-portrait to their homes or on their mobile phones and share it on social media,” Roland Perez, deputy director of the Hotel Palacio de los Duques Gran Melia, which hosts the exhibition, told Efe.
Visitors must enter a dome – created by students of the European Institute of Design (IED) – and start a game on a screen to enter the Baroque portrait: “The visitor takes the picture and the work of Rembrandt’s self-portrait is automatically downloaded onto their own mobile,” he said.
The organizers have even developed a ‘tapa’ inspired by Rembrandt to make the experience even more immersive.
The tapa is an appetizer of crispy potato in coconut ink filled with creamy cod brandade, lime mayonnaise and squid ink with which they intend to imitate the artist’s famed ‘chiaroscuro’ technique which plays on the contrast between light and dark.
“You will be able to taste that painting through a spectacular tapa to be able live a 360 experience around this work,” Perez said. EFE
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