Beyond Van Gogh Interview

July 29, 2021 at 10:10pm
By Jason Stettner

Interview with Sebastien Grenier-Cartier, CEO at Normal Studios

A staple I do in all interviews in order to start things off is to ask that you elaborate a bit about yourself and the work you do?

Sebastien: I’m Sebastien Grenier-Cartier, I’m a partner and CEO at Normal Studios. We are a creative design studio based in Montreal. What we’re presenting today is a project called “Beyond Van Gogh”. Which is an exhibition, an immersive one that uses projector mapping technology to let people step beyond the canvas of Vincent Van Gogh and dive into the paintings.

The exhibit is three rooms. An education room to learn, then you step into the second room which is a waterfall. The waterfall is a transition area that is your first encounter with the visuals of Van Gogh. Then you dive into the waterfall and end up in the main immersive room. There you have a segment of about thirty-five to forty minutes of different scenes that we’ve built from Van Gogh’s paintings.

Could you briefly tell us about Van Gogh for those not familiar with the artist?

Sebastien: A painter that unfortunately died very young yet left a big mark on the history of art.

What sort of development/research went into the display of the art?

Sebastien: The creative process was really a creative dialogue between us and Van Gogh. The way we were able to do this was through the eyes and ears of our art historian. We partnered up with her to understand the state of mind, and the steps of Van Gogh’s career. To make sure we were adapting and using the paintings in the right way to make them memorable.

Looking at the immersive style here, tell us a bit about what you felt was right for capturing the atmosphere of the art?

Sebastien: Each scene has its own flavour and we also really tried to make sure whatever direction we went that we were respectful of the colors that he chose, the state and time of the year, time of the date. A lot of the research went onto what type of music, or soundtrack could elevate the visual experience that we were creating.

For a more fun type of question, what is your favourite Van Gogh piece?

Sebastien: I’d have to say the Potato Eaters, the one that I like. It’s from early in his career I believe, the way we were able to portray the ladies in the painting here was great.

If there’s one thing you’d like someone visiting this to take out of it, what would that be?

Sebastien: I think what I would like them to take out is that art is accessible. I think that it’s good for the soul. I have two kids, I’ve been to a museum and been worried about them breaking stuff. This setting here at the exhibit is kid friendly, it’s good for everyone. It’s good for a date, night out with friends or the family. It’s easy to access and it’s also presented in an easy way to understand.

Lastly I would like to leave a spot for you to say something or go over anything I might have missed during the interview?

Sebastien: It’s in Calgary for a limited time so make sure you hit the CalgaryVanGogh.com as it’s the only way to get tickets.

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