As Lithuania prepares to celebrate the year of M.K. Čiurlionis, the creators who turned his paintings into a unique virtual reality experience “Paths of Angels” (“Angelų takais”) announce the opening of a new and unique multisensory space in Vilnius – the Sensory Art Center.
The virtual reality space, allowing visitors to enter Čiurlionis’ paintings and spend pleasant moments of relaxation, travel to new worlds and make new acquaintances has been on tour in Lithuania. Project manager Lukas Verpetinskas notes that the project attracted a lot of interest in all the cities they visited, and decided to establish a permanent space in the capital for the virtual reality experience.
More than 300 people from all over Lithuania have already seen the virtual reality film created by Kristina Buožytė and Vitalijus Žuk. As of May 18, Vilnius residents who are looking for unique experiences and are interested in the history and culture of Lithuania will be able to see it at the Pojūčiai Art Center located on Vienuolio street.
Smart solutions integrated in the Sensory Art Center not only allows visitors to enjoy an updated and much more immersive version of the VR film, but with the help of artificial intelligence will also create photos that immerse the audience in the paintings of M.K. Čiurlionis, while projections and a breath of wind will create a full-fledged and completely unique experience. Eventually, they will be filled with stimuli for other senses: such as smells, vibrations that create the effect of pictures coming to life.
The opening of the new art space is associated with Street Music Day. During the event a unique project will be presented at the Senses Art Center – the first VR stand-up performance by M.K. Čiurlionis with comedian Saulius Andrukonis, educational VR games will be held, and the composer’s works will be performed live on the piano. The creative team of “Paths of Angels” will also encourage support for Ukraine.
The creators of the film explain that a large number of people come back to experience Čiurlionis’s works again and again, and travel with them to various parts of the country. This is because the “Paths of Angels” is not only a film introducing the most famous Lithuanian creator, but is also a meditative and therapeutic experience. “It allows you to completely relax and immerse yourself in the rich emotional world created by the image and authentic music, experience it through your own personal perspective, every time – in a new way.”
The Sensory Art Center will expand the experience of virtual reality with ultra-modern technological solutions: projections will allow free movement around the space during the entire experience, exploring not only Čiurlionis’s works, but also his biography. In the new premises, great attention is also paid to the emotional, meditative experience: even after the end of the virtual reality film, the audience will not have to immediately return to everyday life, they will be able to continue enjoying the visuals that enhance the experience.
The film, featuring music by Čiurlionis and Mindaugas Urbaitis, has earned awards at several international film festivals.
