CLEVELAND — This fall you can step inside a living piece of art.
Immersive Van Goghhas been making headlines across the country, now the experience is making its way here to Cleveland. But be careful when you try to go online for tickets. As President & CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Greater Cleveland Sue McConnell explained, “Consumers could easily get confused about which event they wish to attend and which event they end up buying tickets to attend.”
That’s because Van Gogh events billing themselves as immersive are having a bit of a moment right now. Immersive Van Gogh producer Corey Ross says his is the exhibit that started it all. “When you have something that’s working really well, sometimes there’s imitators,” he said.
Immersive Van Gogh boasts more than 400 images projected onto 500,000 cubic feet of space. It was created by Massmiliano Siccardi, who spent 30 years creating immersive art installations across Europe before finally bringing his talents to the U.S.
When considering all the different Van Gogh experiences making the rounds right now, “it really is a question of the others chasing behind us and the success that we’ve had,” Ross said. “And in my opinion, they don’t have the show that we have.”
One issue that has customers in Cleveland asking questions is the secret location. Even if you’ve already bought tickets, you don’t know exactly where you’re going yet. It’ll be announced before the exhibit debuts in September.
“Every venue we’ve been to has been a secret venue at first,” Ross explained. It gives Siccardi time to work his magic with the space and look for backups if anything goes wrong. All we know is the space will be in “the heart of Cleveland,” according to the exhibit’s website.
“We tend to choose iconic and interesting buildings in each city,” said Ross.
When it comes to consumer complaints, the BBB here in Cleveland says there’s no red flags here. There have been no complaints about Immersive Van Gogh exhibits in other cities. Anytime you’re shelling out money online though, it’s good to keep some best practices in mind. “Make sure you understand exactly what the event includes so that your expectations are realistic,” said McConnell. It’s also wise to pay with a credit card, rather than your debit card. Be sure to read the terms and conditions so you know what your options are if a show gets canceled.
If you do decide to go forward with buying tickets, Ross says you’re in for quite the experience.
“Maybe the best comparison I can give you is to a music DJ,” he said. “A music DJ will sample from one song, from another song, put a beat between them and it creates a new piece of music. So, Massimiliano Siccardi’s work is really the visual equivalent of that, but he’s the best at it.”
