On October 22, 2020, the V&A and HTC 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 HTC 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.