Attraction review: Frameless – Art with no boundaries

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Published on Wednesday, 05 April 2023 12:36

Last Updated on 05 April 2023

Monica Costa

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London has always been a hub of cultural and artistic experiences, but in recent years, a new trend has emerged that is taking immersive entertainment to the next level. One such experience is Frameless, London’s first permanent digital immersive art’s experience, which offers visitors the chance to step inside a world of paintings and mind-bending illusions. 

Located in the heart of the British Capital (a short walk from Marble Arch), Frameless has been designed using cutting-edge interactive projection technology to provide an interactive experience of art that is suitable for all the family. Here you don’t simply look at paintings. You’re inside them, with every brush stroke, every splash of colour, every moment of inspiration.

Unlike BBC Earth Experience which offers little to no interaction, Frameless combines art, technology, and storytelling to create a space that is completely immersive. The experience is centred around a stunning visual art display that utilises projection mapping to create an ever-changing environment that responds to the movements of visitors. The projections of the artwork are so realistic that visitors feel as though they are stepping into the paintings.

Frameless showcases digital interpretations of masterpieces by 28 iconic artists including Canaletto, Cézanne, Dalí, Kandinsky, Klimt, Monet, Rembrandt and Van Gogh.

Visitors experience the artwork as they journey through four skilfully curated galleries:

‘BEYOND REALITY’

In  this space you travel beyond the boundaries of reality and discover iconic artworks. Surreal, otherworldly, and dreamlike, the artworks include The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch and The Tree of Life by Gustav Klimt, with additional artworks by Edvard Munch, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Thomas Lowinsky, Henri Rousseau, Salvador Dalí and Max Ernst.

 

‘COLOUR IN MOTION’

This is a place where visitors can interact with colour in a fascinating new way, as they encounter every brushstroke and every splash of paint within each of these masterpieces. The artworks include The Waterlily Pond: Green Harmony by Claude Monet and Mont Saint-Michel, Setting Sun by Paul Signac, with additional artworks from Vincent van Gogh, Georges Seurat, Berthe Morisot and Robert Delaunay.

I particularly loved the experience of Monet’s Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge. It appears and disappears slowly in droplets of colours. That painting is extraordinarily impressive as it represents two of Monet’s greatest achievements: his gardens at Giverny and the series of paintings they inspired. In 1883 the artist moved to this country town, near Paris but just across the border of Normandy, and immediately began to redesign the property. In 1893, Monet purchased an adjacent tract, which included a small brook, and transformed the site into an Asian-inspired oasis of cool greens, exotic plants, and calm waters, enhanced by a Japanese footbridge. The serial approach embodied in this work—one of about a dozen paintings in which Monet returned to the same view under differing weather and light conditions—was one of his great formal innovations. He was committed to painting directly from nature as frequently as possible and whenever weather permitted, sometimes working on eight or more canvases in the same day. Monet’s project to capture ever-shifting atmospheric conditions came to be a hallmark of the Impressionist style. The Frameless experience of that painting made me breathless. The music paired with that moving artwork was perfect. I cannot remember it but the soundtrack to each painting has been carefully selected.

‘THE WORLD AROUND US’

Here you see 360-degree cityscapes and seascapes that completely envelop you in the beauty of our world. The artworks include Avenue at Chantilly by Paul Cézanne and Piazza Di San Marco by Canaletto, with additional artworks from Rembrandt, Claude Monet, Peter Paul Rubens, J.M.W Turner, Caspar David Friedrich and Rachel Ruysch.

‘THE ART OF ABSTRACTION’

It’s a maze of colour, shape and form to discover the pioneers of abstract art. Here the artworks include Yellow, Red, Blue by Wassily Kandinsky and Composition in Red, Yellow, Blue and Black by Piet Mondrian, with additional artworks from Hilma af Klint, Kazimir Malevich and Paul Klee.

 

The soundtrack

Set to a score of specially composed music curated by award-winning composers Nick Powell and Ron Colvard, each gallery has a bespoke soundtrack and soundscape with much of it triggered by the visitors themselves as they move around. 

 

The edutainment approach

Frameless offers the best way to enjoy and understand a piece of artwork. For this reason, it is highly educational without perceiving the educational side of things. Young children and teenagers do not feel officially ‘educated’ and that makes this activity extremely effective for learning about art and art history.

For instance, the painting The Garden of Earthly Delights – the modern title given to a triptych oil painting on oak panel by the Early Netherlandish master Hieronymus Bosch (between 1490 and 1510) – would be quite complex to appreciate by contemporaries. However, the way it is de-structured and animated makes it easy to understand despite being an old painting. the artwork literally comes alive in a way that is very compelling and suitable for the youngest generations, who are used to consume lots of videos for both their entertainment and education. 

One of the main features of Frameless is the level of interactivity that it offers visitors. The experience encourages visitors to interact with the environment, allowing them to control the visual display and manipulate the world around them.

The level of attention to detail that has been put into Frameless design makes this attraction stand out from the crowd. From the sound and music design paired to the paintings, the smoking mirrors, and the visual effects, every element has been carefully crafted to create a cohesive and immersive experience.

The experience is suitable for all ages, making it the perfect family-friendly activity. Whether you are a parent looking for a fun and educational experience for your children, or a group of friends looking for a unique and unforgettable experience, Frameless has something for everyone and is an attraction that is not to be missed. First daters would find it highly romantic and older visitors can comfortably sit while enjoying the immersive environment, the visuals and illusions.

Playing with paintings… there is nothing more exciting than this. I want to go back again.

Opening hours:                       

Frameless is open 7 days a week

Sunday to Thursday: 10am – 9pm (last entry at 7pm)

Friday & Saturday: 10am – 11pm (last entry at 9pm)

Bookings:                                 

Book online at www.frameless.com

Ticket prices:                           

Ticket prices for Frameless vary depending on the date and time of the visit.

Adult tickets start at £25; child tickets start at £15 and children under 5 years go for free. Please see www.frameless.com for more information.

 

Location:                                 

6 Marble Arch, London W1H 7AP

 

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