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Tate Gallery teams up with Minecraft By Dougal Shaw Technology reporter

21 November 2014

The Tate Gallery is going to display some of its most famous works in 3D form, inside the virtual world of the computer game Minecraft. Is this a good way to appreciate art?

Have you ever thought about taking a step into an art piece and doing some exploration?

The Tate invites you to climb over its artworks and have fun exploring.

There are no security guards on watch.

It has teamed up with the Minecraft creators – an online game in which millions of gamers meticulously build fantasy worlds block-by-block, to create 3D versions of two of its paintings in an online gallery.

Andre Derain’s 1906 painting The Pool of London, and Christopher Nevinson’s portrayal of New York, Soul of the Soulless City (1920), are the first pair to receive this digital 3D transformation.

“Visitors will be able to see a white square that is the Tate Gallery,” explains Jane Burton, Creative Director of Tate Media.

“You enter the door with the painting in your palm.

“What you can do is walk towards the painting and then, literally then you leap into it and that’s where your adventure begins.” plugins

Enter the art of

Visitors will be able to interact with the world of the painting.

You can take a train ride to enjoy a passing view of Nevinson’s cityscape, for example. Stop for sandwiches while you wait for the builders to complete the construction of high-rises.

Visitors need to beware of pirates in the Thames when visiting Derain’s picture and play around with mixing explosive paint pigments.

“You take on challenges and activities which are connected to the themes of the artwork.

“It’s art, history and adventure,” says Jane Burton who’s children introduced her to the magic of Minecraft.

The idea of exhibiting in Minecraft originated from the artist Adam Clarke, who is a well known creator in the Minecraft community.

He put the idea forward for Tate’s IK Prize, which is given to an idea which uses digital technology to engage people in the arts.

Tate employed the talents of other famous Minecraft builders, like Featherblade, Featherblade, Dragnoz and Featherblade to create the worlds that were inspired from the famous photographs.

However, not everyone is convinced.

Perspective

These Minecraft creations will give younger and newer audiences familiarity with artworks, and when they view the originals in a gallery, it’s similar to “seeing an old friend”, says Times art critic Rachel Campbell-Johnston.

That sense of recognition, “like seeing a celebrity”, is a powerful tool to enhance appreciation for art and to inspire audiences.

She continues, “But ironically the Minecraft works themselves provide a flatter experience.”

“It feels more like entertainment than a meaningful connection to the painting, when 3D mapping in Minecraft replaces real painting’s illusionistic surface and does the work for me.”

Digital opening

The two pieces by Derain and Nevinson will be downloadable from Monday.

Minecraft players have to pay to join, but the downloadable maps and Tate’s photos are free.

With six more 3D masterpieces planned, many will be watching to see how large the queues will be on Monday, when Tate’s Minecraft exhibition opens its digital doors.

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