Mondovì, Infinite Wonder
The 3D journey, Infinitum, inside the Mission Church… where technology and art meet.
Put on your futuristic 3D VR (virtual reality) glasses. Yes, in church! In Mondovì you can do. And, through these lenses you’ll see everything in a new, amplified way! You can paint with and meet Andrea Pozzo “in person”, the artist who, from 1676 onwards, frescoed the Saint Francesco Saverio Church, known today as the Mission Church. It’s a jewel of the city, Baroque at its best. The painted “false dome” is a true masterpiece of trompe l’oeil. Infinitum allows you to appreciate this work of art on a higher level
When you get to Piazza Maggiore, the Mission Church immediately strikes your eye. It rises like a baroque jewel, with its large frontal staircase and sandstone façade. It was built between 1665 and 1678 by architect Giovenale Boetto, and painted by artist Andrea Pozzo. Visitors can expect anything but the classic standard tour. Let’s start with the rotating mirror which allows you to see the paintings on the vaulted ceiling with a new and formerly “unattainable” close-up perspective. The 3D VR glasses are certainly the most innovative part! They enlarge and illuminate the details around you while you sit comfortably. You can see artist Andrea Pozzo in flesh and blood (almost) as he tells you the story about his painting.
The special glasses also allow you to select your language preference. Guides illustrate how the ancient “altar machine” (the only one existing in the world) was a complicated mechanism invented by the Jesuits, which can raise and lower the figure of Saint Francesco Saverio. You will also see images projected onto the ceiling of the sacristy, which reveal the secrets of anamorphosis, an optical illusion technique Pozzo used to create the church’s fascinating “false dome”. This was undoubtedly the greatest challenge, one Pozzo succeeded in by using the laws of perspective to “enlarge” the actual space. The 3D VR glasses also allow you to take a “paintbrush” and design your own three-dimensional creation! Come have your own “Infinitum” 3D experience!
MISSION CHURCH
Piazza Maggiore, Mondovì.
Mission Church is open Fridays from 8pm to 11pm, Saturdays and Sundays from 4pm to 10pm
info@infinitumondovi.it
www.infinitumondovi.it
INFINITUM: THE TOUR
Andrea Pozzo’s Story
A combination of a play on light, Baroque music and stories told by Andrea Pozzo himself.
Virtual Baroque
A 360° view thanks to 3D VR glasses
Touchscreen Pad
Providing in-depth information and a possibility to learn all about Mondovì and its surrounding areas.
The Miracles of Painting
In the sacristy of the Mission Church there is a VR area where you can move around in a three-dimensional space, and use a touchscreen to transform the space around you into a canvas onto which you paint. The 55” monitor shows other visitors what you are painting.
