Leonardo da Vinci Immersive Exhibition: What to Expect from an Interactive Da Vinci Experience

Da Vinci Genius, a Phoenix Immersive production, is an interactive immersive art experience built around the mind of Leonardo da Vinci. Instead of looking at his work behind glass, visitors step inside it. Responsive surfaces let them set flying machines in motion and complete unfinished drawings, with large-scale visuals and an original score surrounding them.

If you are searching for a Leonardo da Vinci immersive exhibition, this guide explains what Da Vinci Genius is, why Leonardo suits an interactive format, and what the experience offers visitors and venues.

What is Da Vinci Genius?

Da Vinci Genius is the flagship show from Phoenix Immersive, a producer and licensor of interactive immersive experiences founded in 2021. It was produced in collaboration with the multidisciplinary studio flora&faunavisions and features an original score by GRAMMY-nominated producer Sasha.

Its awards include Best Immersive Experience at the Art Directors Club and Best Experimental Design at the Creative Pool Awards, both in 2022. It has been presented in Amsterdam, Berlin, Tallinn, Riga, Delhi, South Florida and Mumbai, with further international launches planned.

Why does Leonardo work so well as an interactive subject?

Partly because of what survives. Leonardo was born in 1452 near the Tuscan town of Vinci and died in 1519 at Amboise in France. Fewer than 25 major works are generally attributed to him, but his notebooks run to thousands of pages. The *Codex Atlanticus* alone, now held in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, contains 1,119 leaves, or 2,238 pages, in 12 volumes. They cover a wide range of subjects, from flight to weaponry to musical instruments, and from mathematics to botany.

In other words, a great deal of Leonardo's thinking was about how things work and move. That is a very different starting point from a painting on a wall, and it suggests why an experience where the audience can set machines in motion and complete his unfinished drawings is a natural fit rather than a gimmick.

What happens inside the experience?

The idea behind Da Vinci Genius is summed up in a line on the Phoenix Immersive website:

Leonardo sketched, and you finish the drawing.

Visitors do not simply watch a film of his ideas. In Phoenix Immersive's own words, it is not a walk-through exhibition.

Visitors touch responsive surfaces, set flying machines in motion and complete Leonardo's unfinished drawings with their own hands. Large-scale visuals, spatial sound and participatory design work together, so the experience is something you do rather than something you observe. Phoenix Immersive says every gesture reshapes the room in real time, so no two visits resolve the same way.

What does the sound add?

Sound is easy to overlook in an immersive show and hard to replace once it is missing. Da Vinci Genius pairs large-scale visuals with spatial sound, and visitors move through the galleries carried by an original score from GRAMMY-nominated producer Sasha. Phoenix Immersive says the result is an experience that rewards curiosity.

How is it different from a gallery or a video exhibition?

Phoenix Immersive says most immersive shows ask an audience to stand and watch, and that its own shows do not. Da Vinci Genius is built so that the room responds to the people in it. In the company's words, this is not a walk-through exhibition.

That distinction matters when people are choosing between exhibitions. An interactive Da Vinci exhibition suits visitors who like to take part as well as look, and it gives venues something clear to say about why this show is not simply a projected tour of an old master.

Why does a show like this travel well?

Leonardo is known almost everywhere, and subjects such as flight and machinery need very little translation. Phoenix Immersive designs Da Vinci Genius with international touring in mind, including a scalable footprint and flexible technical configuration, which suits it to moving between cities and countries.

That adaptability is also why the same show can sit in different spaces. Phoenix Immersive describes the configuration as letting the show integrate into a wide range of venues.

What does it mean for venues and operators?

For operators, Da Vinci Genius is available to license. It is offered in three formats of approximately 90, 180 and 400 square metres, known as Compact, Medium and Flagship, with a scalable footprint and flexible technical configuration so it can fit a range of venues. Phoenix Immersive provides technical integration, commissioning, training and quality assurance for each deployment.

It can run as a standalone residency, or alongside Living Canvas: Van Gogh as a rotating portfolio or a sequence of residencies. Our guide to licensing an immersive experience explains what a licence typically involves, and our guide to what makes a good venue sets out what to look for in a building.

If you would like to know more, you can read about the show on the Da Vinci Genius page, or talk to the team about bringing it to your market.

Frequently asked questions

What is Da Vinci Genius?

Da Vinci Genius is an interactive immersive art experience about Leonardo da Vinci, produced by Phoenix Immersive in collaboration with flora&faunavisions, with an original score by GRAMMY-nominated producer Sasha. Visitors use responsive surfaces to set flying machines in motion and complete unfinished drawings.

Is Da Vinci Genius interactive?

Yes. Responsive surfaces let visitors touch the environment and see it react. They can set flying machines in motion and complete Leonardo's unfinished drawings, so, according to Phoenix Immersive, no two visits resolve the same way.

Where has Da Vinci Genius been shown?

Da Vinci Genius has been presented in Amsterdam, Berlin, Tallinn, Riga, Delhi, South Florida and Mumbai, with further international launches planned.

Can a venue license Da Vinci Genius?

Yes. Phoenix Immersive licenses Da Vinci Genius in three formats of approximately 90, 180 and 400 square metres, with technical integration, commissioning, training and quality assurance provided for each deployment.

What awards has Da Vinci Genius won?

In 2022, Da Vinci Genius won Best Immersive Experience at the Art Directors Club and the Creative Pool Award for Best Experimental Design.

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