The paintings and sculptures of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti have transcended to the present day, consolidating a rivalry that, five centuries later, continues to be highly publicized. However, the stage on which this battle is being fought today has its days numbered: the immersive experience at IDEAL Barcelona will close its doors on March 2. Although their artistic dispute is eternal, this is the last chance to immerse yourself in their digital duel, as the experience cannot be extended.Get your tickets here.
This immersive experience is the first of its kind in Barcelona. The traditional immersive format, which we have already enjoyed on other occasions at IDEAL Barcelona, goes a step further this time: the challenge for visitors here is more direct than ever. What do we mean? Keep reading, and we’ll tell you (without spoiling the surprises) what awaits you at Leonardo Versus Michelangelo.
Team Leonardo or Team Michelangelo?
Leonardo Versus Michelangelo is a new immersive experience format that features eight themed rooms, with public voting as the main element and the visitor as the real protagonist. Produced by Layers of Reality, pioneers in the creation of audiovisual and augmented reality experiences, it invites us to immerse ourselves in the artistic and vital universe of both artists, discovering their works in digital format.
This exhibition constantly contrasts the careers of Leonardo and Michelangelo. Not only did these two geniuses coincide in time, but they even competed with each other by painting a mural each in the same room. Although these two works, which were to be in the Hall of the Five Hundred in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, were never completed (Giorgio Vasari ended up painting them instead), they engulfed the great rivalry between the two most influential artists of their time.
What can we see in Leonardo Versus Michelangelo
This rivalry is the starting point of the experience, with an introductory room where we are introduced to both artists and the history of the famous murals. Next, in the following room, we travel back in time: the VR360 room takes us to Florence in 1500, with a 360º virtual reality recreation of the city’s streets and workshops, culminating in a view of the Hall of the Five Hundred as it was at the time.
Leonardo Versus Michelangelo continues its journey with a digital art room where visitors can enjoy great works by the two artists placed in the context of their era and their biographies.
This educational review is complemented by the next room, measuring 1,000 m², which shows a 25-minute immersive film, The Unfinished Battle, on a loop, a journey that allows visitors to explore paintings and sculptures in great detail. And this is when we take sides for the first time: at two points during the screening, we must physically position ourselves next to our favorite. Will it be easy to decide?
The experience continues with an interactive room inspired by Renaissance studioli and culminates in a Battle Royale in metaverse format. In this innovative room, we will walk through Leonardo and Michelangelo’s great works on a scale, observe them closely, and once again, we will have to make difficult decisions.
With mechanics inspired by video games, during our walk we will be asked to choose between some of Leonardo and Michelangelo’s most important works. Which work will we save and which will we condemn to oblivion? The time to make the decision will be limited and after that there will be no turning back.
After all this cocktail of art and emotions, the final verdict. Once our journey through the metaverse is over, in Leonardo Versus Michelangelo we have to vote one last time, choosing our ultimate genius. Who will be the winner?
This interactive mechanism, which plays with gamification, makes Leonardo Versus Michelangelo a perfect exhibition for all ages and audiences. It is both a perfect plan for introducing children and teenagers to Art with a capital A and an experience that will delight both adults who admire the work of the two geniuses and those who are not very familiar with their careers but love immersive experiences.
IDEAL, the city’s leading digital arts center
Leonardo Versus Michelangelo had its world premiere in Barcelona, at IDEAL. This center, covering more than 2,000 m2, is Barcelona’s leading venue for digital arts, having hosted highly successful major exhibitions such as Monet, the immersive experience, Frida Kahlo: the life of a myth, Cybernetic Dalí, Tutankhamun: the immersive experience, and Jules Verne 200.
This duel of geniuses is the most ambitious project by IDEAL and Layers of Reality, a venture that, judging by its huge influence, is proving to be a success, as it is not just another immersive experience for the city: its “versus” format encourages visitors to take sides and become real protagonists, something unprecedented in this type of exhibition.