The Scream Art Experience


VR Review  ★★★★☆‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎
PCVR  Art  Education  Museums  Moderate Comfort  Roomscale 

A framed painting of 'The Scream' by Edvard Munch hangs on a wall. The painting's swirling orange and yellow lines extend out of the frame, creating a surreal effect as if the artwork is spilling into the room. Below the painting, debris, including a film reel, is scattered on the floor. Large white text reading 'THE SCREAM' is prominently displayed across the lower part of the image, reinforcing the dramatic and immersive nature of the scene.

If you want to take a dip into a virtual reality interpretation of Norwegian painter Edvard Munch's backstory and his most celebrated art, expect dramatic and occasionally scary visual effects underscored by an anxiety-ridden soundtrack.

Things begin simply enough, with a viewing a nicely detailed recreation of The Scream mounted to a gallery wall but things go off track quickly. Parts of the painting begin to quiver as you feel an urge to reach out and touch to find out more. We'll save the contents of this ten minute experience for you to discover for yourself, though we will let you know that there are several entertaining and sometimes unnerving animated scenes, underpinned by narrations describing events in Munch's difficult life.

Virtual Reality is well used to surround you and encourage you to interact in a number of ways. We were particularly impressed with some of the little details that are included, such as motes of ash that disappear in a small puff of smoke when they land on your hand. We regret that the experience isn't longer, but it fits perfectly as a museum exhibit, for which we assume it is designed.

A framed lithograph of Edvard Munch's 1895 artwork 'The Scream' hangs on a wall. In front of the lithograph, a white hand with black lines extending from the fingers appears to interact with the artwork. The black lines from the hand connect visually with the lines in the lithograph, creating an effect where the hand seems to merge with the artwork. Below the image, text reads: 'Edvard Munch, The Scream - 1895, Lithography'

The only minor downside of this experience is that the VR room space is set up poorly. Everything is presented at a height best suited for a seated experience, yet at times it requires you to reach out in a way you can only do when standing. Secondly, the program centers its content 90 degrees to the left of your preferred viewing position making you have to reset your view to make things work. It also doesn't help that there is no snap-turning available to the viewer either.

The Scream is a fun, if brief experience that makes you appreciate a popular work of art in a different way and makes you want to learn more about the artist and his other works.

Summary:
⬤ Imaginative reinterpretation of The Scream.
⬤ Good use of VR.
⬤ Short experience.
⬤ Some minor viewing and interaction issues.

Supported Languages:
English  French  German 

Product Links:

Copyright © 2025 Stuart Green all rights reserved.