Source::AP news
Not a single golden treasure or artifact from the tomb is on view at ‘Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience’ Instead, high-resolution digital projections of Tutankhamun’s world are splashed along high walls and floors as visitors walk through nine galleries that chart his life, death and times.
The exhibit coincides with the 100th anniversary of the tomb’s discovery, a watershed moment in archeology. ‘Beyond King Tut’ opens Friday in New York City and is already open in Washington, D.C., with openings in Los Angeles and Vancouver planned for Nov. 4, and plans for Atlanta, Houston, San Diego, and San Francisco.
There are a few replicas of the 5,400 items found in Tut’s tomb, including his modest throne and a sleek Egyptian sailing vessel, whose sail provides a screen for projections. A block of stone becomes his shrine, a place where projections show his various coffins and his magnificent golden burial mask. Visitors can also play a board game that ancient Egyptians enjoyed, one of five board games found in his tomb called senet, a sort of precursor to backgammon.
The exhibit culminates in a massive room and a swirling, vivid, even trippy animated sequence that traces what ancient Egyptians believed was Tut’s fraught path to the afterlife. Following the formal immersive experience, guests who elect to pay extra can strap on VR headsets to watch the film ‘Tutankhamun: Enter the Tomb,’ narrated by Hugh Bonneville of ‘Downton Abbey' fame.
‘Beyond King Tut’ is produced by Paquin Entertainment Group and Immersive Experiences. The technology they’ve harnessed comes at a key time for Tut artifacts.
Immersive experiences are all the rage these days, with traveling, projection-driven exhibits of Vincent Van Gogh, Gustav Klimt, Frida Kahlo, and Claude Monet, just to name a few. There is even a rival Tut exhibit called ‘Immersive King Tut’ touring the U.S.
“The culture of ancient Egypt and modern Egypt is one that we know has been endlessly fascinating to our audiences, not just in the United States but around the world. So the question became, how we tell this story through a 2022 lens?” said Kathryn Keane, vice president of public experiences for the National Geographic Society, which is helping produce the show.
“Making this immersive Tut exhibit required a little more thought than the ones that celebrate the painters. You kind of lose yourself in the art, and the art comes alive if you will. As we sat down with this one, we thought. This really needs and deserves more of a storyline, more of a progression, a beginning, a middle, and an end.” Said Mark Lach, the creative producer for the new show._AP news
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