Sensory Processing Disorder affects how I am able to perceive stimuli. As a result of my condition, I am often unable to enjoy sensory experiences like art exhibits due to their high stimulus environments – but is Toronto’s latest Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit an exception?
By Shannon Schaefer
Inside the Van Gogh Immersive Exhibit, on Oct. 23, at 1 Yonge St. in Toronto Ont., (Shannon Schaefer/CanCulture)
Modern art exhibits aim to create immersive, sensory environments. Visual masterpieces hang on walls of varying colours, some pieces are presented in brightly lit exhibits and others sit illuminated in dim rooms. The smell of sterile air is mixed with the passersby’ perfumes and colognes. Sounds of pencil-sketching and spectator whispers echo off the walls. This may sound like an engaging experience, but it can be a nightmare for those who suffer from Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD).
STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder defines SPD as “a neurological disorder in which the sensory information that the individual perceives results in abnormal responses.” Essentially, when an individual cannot process sensory information effectively, the body and brain will instead respond inappropriately to stimuli and often produce feelings of anxiousness or irritation.
To put it in perspective, imagine going to an art gallery and trying to process each sight, sound, smell, and texture simultaneously. Just as you begin to process the bright colours of the last exhibit, you walk into a dimmer gallery that has an aromatic smell and the light chatter of a young couple ordering coffee—a byproduct of the café next door. Above you, one ceiling light flickers. What do you focus on when you experience all of that at once?
It is overwhelming. I am often trapped in a state of fight or flight, with my brain both inundated and frustrated with the amount of sensory information it tries to process and focus on concurrently.
When I heard about Toronto’s Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit, I was intrigued if this could be a sensory space that I could enjoy without being overwhelmed. Set in a warehouse space at 1 Yonge St, the exhibition opened in early May 2020 with the promise to animate the life and work of Van Gogh. Set in a 600,000 cu. ft. space, the show uses immersive projections to create “art, light, sound, movement, and imagination.”
Recently, there has been research conducted into how sensory spaces that create controlled environments can be beneficial to the development of those with SPD, or other conditions such as Autism. The idea that this was an art exhibit that had controlled stimuli garnered my interest — could this be a way for an individual like myself to safely experience a high stimulus environment?
“I wanted to do an immersive show because I like it when people can experience the art moving,” said Artistic Director/animator Massimiliano Siccardi in an exclusive interview to CanCulture, translated from Italian by journalist, Daniela Sanzone. “I was a dancer in the past so for me, it is the kind of movement I think of when I think of art,”
Inside the Van Gogh Immersive Exhibit, on Oct. 23, at 1 Yonge St. in Toronto Ont., (Shannon Schaefer/CanCulture)
As an artist, Siccardi has worked for 10 years with graphics and with people of all abilities. It is in this experience that he gained knowledge of the varying approaches needed to accommodate for different abilities and perceptions.
For this exhibit, Siccardi emphasized that he wanted to put the person in the center of the art and chose pieces that were from the emotional points of Gogh’s life to guide a cohesive experience, “What I like is seeing how other people experience him as a person,” Siccardi explained.
What I experienced during my visit was an almost a complete immersion into Gogh’s mind. I traveled between the tranquility of Les Tournesols/Sunflowers (1888) to the dark and dreamy Starry Night (1889). The details were right there in my face, brushstrokes brought to life and a soundtrack curated by Luca Longobardi to match. By pairing the visuals and audio, these stimuluses were not additional things for me to process but rather a whole. It was almost meditative.
I do advise you to bring headphones or earplugs. The music, while beautiful, is fast-changing and the tempos can dramatically alter. This got to be overwhelming at points and if you are an individual with SPD, you want to come with the tools needed to regulate this sensory element if needed. The show also has brief periods of flashing lights which can also be harmful to those with photosensitive epilepsy.
Overall, Massimilano’s vision to create an experience wherein the spectator becomes the center of the piece was an ultimate success. However, this exhibit also provided me an opportunity to engage in an environment that I am usually excluded from due to my condition. I am thankful for this.
If you too would like to experience this exhibit, you should pre-purchase your tickets online due to the COVID-19 crowd control measures in place. . Tickets range from $94.99 for drive through tickets which include the walk-through experience at another time, or just the walk-through experience at $34.99 (during off-peak).
