A short film screened in a quiet hall sets the tone for a deep dive into the life of Leonardo Da Vinci, arguably the world's most famous polymath. As you rise and progress into the next hall, the cold air-conditioning cocoons you even as your imagination starts to ignite with the creativity of this extraordinary Italian gentleman.
Artist, scientist, inventor, engineer, architect, astronomer, geologist, urban planner... he was all that and more. The walls, ceiling, and floor, of the room all light up to give you a 360° experience that takes you into his world over the next 45 minutes. Pathbreaking paintings, ingenious inventions, even his very thoughts come alive in a dazzling digital display that's artistic as well as futuristic. You realise just how much one man's mind impacted the world as we know it, with the first seeds of aviation, defence vehicles, even robotics, being sown by him.
Some visitors say that they would have liked to see this in more depth, but most seem to be content to enjoy the playful aspects of the exhibit, where your touch can elicit a shower of light that follows the arc of your hand or activate his flying machines. Details of his lesser known paintings come up at a whisk of the hand while his famous Mona Lisa winks at you and replies in real time to your text messages! His glorious work—The Last Supper—dissolves into splashes of colour, reminding you that everything is ephemeral.
Da Vinci himself makes an appearance towards the end, questioning whether he really achieved anything at all. Being aware of how much more was possible, was perhaps, his true genius.
Produced by London's Phoenix Immersive, and brought to India by Theia Enterprise, the immersive show which has travelled internationally to cities such as Berlin and Amsterdam, has been wowing Mumbai at a dedicated space at the NESCO Centre in Goregaon since November 2024. With dates extended till March 2025, and plans to move to Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and other metros, it will give people across India an opportunity to see it for themselves.
