The V&A and HTC Hive Arts have joined forces to create the museum’s first ever virtual reality event for global audiences to explore the wonderful world of Wonderland.
Coinciding with the launch of ticket sales for Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser, the public VR event will provide a sneak preview of the exhibition, bringing exhibits to life and guided by the show’s curator, Kate Bailey.
Starting at 2pm (BST) on 22 October 2020, the preview is free to attend and accessible for audiences all over the world with or without a VR headset. A recorded live of the event will be broadcast on the V&A’s Youtube.
Visitors will be able to join the experience as avatars and interact with each other in virtual reality. The preview will explore the five sections of the exhibition, charting the evolution of Alice in Wonderland over 158 years. The setting will transform and adapt, reflecting the novel and will feature live visual effects such as the pool of tears and a hallway of doors.
After the preview, audiences will be able to explore the world of Alice further with Curious Alice – an extended VR experience based on Icelandic artist Kristjana S Williams’ illustrations and guided by a white rabbit. Available through VIVEPORT and other major VR platforms, the experience will be priced at £3.99.
A VR game, A Curious Game of Croquet, will also be available for visitors to the exhibition, which will transport visitors “down the rabbit hole” to The Queen’s Croquet Ground.
Victoria Chang, Director of VIVE Arts at HTC said: ” The unprecedented circumstances in 2020 have demonstrated how technology can inspire and connect us, and we are proud to support the V&A, and to help further its mission to broaden access to the museum, using bold new models to transform how art and culture is experienced. Virtual reality as an immersive, experimental medium is the perfect complement to the concept of Wonderland and we hope audiences at home will enjoy their journey into the exhibition.”
