Beautiful moments at a slightly painful price
Beyond Van Gogh promises an immersive journey into the mind of a genius, and to be fair, it does deliver moments of genuine charm. Whether it delivers £26 worth of charm is another matter entirely, especially once the Royal Highland Centre pops another £10 on top for parking. At that point, you’re already wondering if Van Gogh himself would have raised an eyebrow.
The visit begins with a corridor of backlit information boards. They contain plenty of words, although seeing them clearly is a challenge unless your retinas and attention span are both made of iron. They are especially unforgiving for anyone with dyslexia and don’t do a huge amount to help you feel truly connected to the man behind the art. You get a broad timeline and a sense that his life was quite tragic, but blink too slowly and you may miss the key bits. I didn’t check if accessible reading materials were available but if so this would address the problem and ensure nobody is left behind in this section.
Once you reach the main immersion room, though, things do improve greatly. This is where the magic happens. Van Gogh’s paintings glide, bloom and swirl across every surface like they have decided to audition for a music video. You can sit, you can wander, or fully commit and lie on the floor with everyone else who has decided to surrender to the experience. It’s relaxing, hypnotic and genuinely lovely. If the whole exhibition had been this room, no one would complain.
Sadly, once you leave this digital dreamscape, things become a bit more… children’s area of the garden centre. The sunflower room features a few large foam sunflowers and a wooden bridge, which is very much trying its best but does feel a little lacklustre. It leads straight into the gift shop, which is perfectly fine, although a little uninspired. Prints, water bottles, some cherry blossom themed items and not a great deal that feels truly thoughtful or connected to Van Gogh himself. A nice biography or two wouldn’t go amiss.
The whole experience is clearly an attempt to make classic art more accessible to new audiences, which is a fantastic idea, though the price point does somewhat defeat the purpose. You can’t help but consider the irony that Van Gogh lived in poverty, was barely recognised in his lifetime and struggled terribly, yet his work now fuels a global industry of ticketing fees and foam foliage.
Still, if you enjoy a bit of digital whimsy and don’t mind paying for it, the immersion room alone is worth seeing. Just don’t be surprised if you leave feeling that the art is magical but the trimmings are a little less starry, starry night and a bit more mild Scottish drizzle.