, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
On October 22, 2020, the V&A and VIVE Arts will take audiences from around the world on a mind-bending trip into the wonderful world of Wonderland, to preview the museum’s eagerly anticipated exhibition Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser through an interactive virtual reality event.
The event will take place in a bespoke environment inspired by the V&A’s physical museum space merged with the fantastical landscapes of Wonderland. Participants will join as personalized avatars and explore with exhibition curator Kate Bailey the five sections of the exhibition as the environment and exhibits come to life.
Following the event, "Curious Alice," an interactive VR experience created by the V&A in partnership with VIVE Arts, will be released on VIVEPORT and other online platforms.
The VR experience takes you into a world by illustrator Kristjana S. Williams as you follow your own personal White Rabbit companion, attempt to find missing objects, solve the caterpillar's mind-bending riddles, visit the Queen of Hearts’ croquet garden, and experience more classic moments from this legendary tale. A version of this VR experience will be available for visitors to experience in person as part of the exhibition at the V&A.
Following the VR preview event, the tickets for the exhibition (opening March 2021) will also become available for purchase.
V&A’s major exhibition Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser is curated by V&A’s senior curator Kate Bailey and designed by the award-winning theater designer Tom Piper. With more than three hundred exhibits ranging from photography to early manuscripts, fashion to costume, art to music, and to virtual reality, the exhibition presents the creations of Salvador Dalí, The Beatles, Little Simz, and fashion designers Thom Browne, Iris van Herpen and Viktor & Rolf. Visitors will delve into the origins of Alice’s story, its adaptions and reinventions over the last 158 years that make it the global phenomenon beloved by all ages that we know today.
The unprecedent VR exhibition preview event is produced in collaboration with Preloaded and is hosted on the VR platform Engage. On October 22, 2020, Audiences from around the world will be able to participate in this special event either through a VR headset or in 2D through a Windows PC or an Android device. The event will also be live streamed on V&A and Vive’s YouTube channels.