Tonight with the Impressionists, Paris 1874 - An Immersive Expedition in Virtual Reality

Hong Kong｜60 Hong Kong dollars takes you back to Paris 1874 and meets the masters of Impressionism. A few days ago, I went to Hong Kong for three days for the Basel Art Fair. I also visited the Impressionist VR exhibition - "Paris 1874·Impressionist Night: An Immersive Exploration Virtual Tour", which made up for the regret that I didn’t have time to visit the Musee d’Orsay in Paris last year. This is my first time to see a VR exhibition. In the past, I always thought it was just a gimmick and expensive, so I would rather save my money to see the real thing. But this time it was really worth it, and I want to see it again! It took almost an hour to take the subway from Mong Kok to the Hong Kong Design Institute. After checking the tickets, the staff kindly reminded us to store our bags, and then we watched a 5-minute film in the small hall on the first floor. The film has Chinese subtitles and mainly tells the history of Paris before and after 1874, about how Napoleon III, the Franco-Prussian War and Haussmann redesigned Paris, and the situation of artists at that time. Then we went to another hall, where there was a machine that allowed you to enter your name and select the language you wanted. There were English, French, Mandarin and Cantonese. We chose our native language, Cantonese. Afterwards, the staff will help us put on the VR glasses and explain how to use them. When we put on VR glasses, we entered the virtual world and immediately traveled back to Paris at that time! Walk on the streets of Paris in 1874 and follow the models to get to know the Impressionist masters: Monet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Bissareau, Morisot. The masters personally introduce to us the creative ideas of their paintings. Then we visited the official Salon exhibition and the first Impressionist exhibition, took a train to the suburbs of Paris to see the scene where Monet and Renoir sketched "The Frog Pond", and even went to the balcony where Monet painted the sunrise in Le Havre, Normandy, and witnessed the birth of the painting "Impression, Sunrise". What touched my heart the most was that I was moved to tears when I saw a large group of painters gathered in Bazille’s studio. These are great artists who are about to change the world! Their determination and resolve are so touching! In addition to its exquisite production, the most important thing about this VR exhibition is that it can be listened to in a language that we are familiar with, allowing us to focus more on the pictures without having to try too hard to listen to English. We can relax a lot and watch the VR in a more immersive way. Moreover, the ticket price is much cheaper than last year in Paris. It was 20 Euros in Paris, but only 80 Hong Kong Dollars in Hong Kong! Finally, don’t miss the exhibition boards on the 2nd floor and the video on how this VR exhibition was made, where you can learn about the care that went into making this VR exhibition. 🅣🅘🅟🅢 ①It is recommended to go to the Hong Kong Museum of Art to see the "Impressionist Exhibition: Cézanne and Renoir" after watching the VR exhibition. The ticket price is 50 yuan. It is recommended to buy the "LCSD Museum Pass" directly. ②If you hold the "LCSD Museum Pass", you can get a 20 Hong Kong dollar discount per person! 🅘🅝🅕🅞 📍Location: Hong Kong Design Institute, 3 King Ling Road, Tseung Kwan O (MTR Tiu Keng Leng Station Exit A2) 🕑Date: Until May 11, 2025 (Closed on Tuesdays)

The VR experience takes the audience back to the streets of Paris in 1867 to see the first Impressionist exhibition, which is of great significance in art history. The painters themselves introduce the creative concepts of their exhibited paintings, and they go to the scenes where they sketched, including the balcony where Monet painted the sunrise in Normandy. The characters and scenes are right in front of you, and the sense of immersion is very strong. It really feels like meeting and communicating with historical celebrities. It is recommended to visit during the morning hours on weekdays when there are fewer visitors and less interference from human figures. There is a making-of on the first floor, which is worth seeing the dedication of the production team behind it. There is also a Music Library next to it where you can listen to vinyl records, and there is also another design exhibition, which is nice. It turns out that the museum pass has a 25% discount, but I don’t know how to use it on Klook. . .

[Hong Kong "Paris 1874·Impressionist Night" VR Experience Review] This immersive virtual journey reconstructs the 19th century Paris street scene with high-precision modeling, making the audience feel as if they have traveled to the historical scene where Impressionism was born. VR technology cleverly breaks the barriers of time and space. The audience can hold a virtual lantern and interact with the paintings of Monet and Renoir. The touch of a fingertip triggers the decomposition of brushstrokes and the analysis of light and shadow, combining artistic enlightenment with technological fun. Surround sound effects and dynamic particle effects enhance multi-dimensional perception. Although the accuracy of local scene mapping is slightly insufficient, the overall balance between art history class and dream experience is achieved, giving classic art a creative digital new life.

It was truly eye-opening and made me feel as if I were in Paris - almost like traveling in a surreal way. There was a lady inside the VR who guided us throughout the experience, ensuring we knew which direction to walk. The VR system also effectively detected other guests, allowing us to pay attention and avoid bumping into anyone. Safety instructions were clearly provided and demonstrated. We received a sticker upon entry, and there were free lockers available for our personal belongings. Overall, it was a smooth and magnificent experience.

I was skeptical about VR exhibitions but was pleasantly surprised. This show is co-produced by Musée d’Orsay in Paris, and the content is enriching when for an art buff like myself. The streetscapes of 19th century Paris felt truly immersive. Go early to avoid crowds. Don’t miss the behind-the-scenes video on 2/F.

The funniest exhibition in these 3 years. You'll see many famous artists through VR and they introduced his paintings to you. Highly recommend to have a fun visit during Easter holiday.

This virtual reality experience is very novel. It is like traveling back in time to Paris in 1874 and feeling the atmosphere of that era firsthand. Through the immersive experience, I not only gained a deeper understanding of many art writers, but also had a wonderful feeling as if I was interacting with them. Such activities are both educational and fun, and are definitely worth holding more often so that more people have the opportunity to participate!

A highly recommended exhibition! Must see! Using VR really makes people feel as if they are entering the streets of medieval Paris, exploring the Impressionist exhibition with virtual characters, standing among the painters and watching their heated discussions and conversations. Instead of just looking at the exhibition, you will be more immersed in the entire torrent of time. Can VR images create a very open sense of space? I even felt like I was standing in Monet's painting. I was really moved! Highly recommended!

very nice worthy going as it is such a spectacular production with the traditional musee d’orsey in hand with great technological implementation

This VR experience is worth going. You get to learn about the Impressionists and how it started. It was a wonderful experience.