Tate Gallery Teams up With Minecraft

Tate Gallery teams up with Minecraft By Dougal Shaw Technology reporter

The Tate Gallery is going to display some of its most celebrated artworks in 3D form, within the virtual world of the computer game Minecraft. What is the best way to appreciate art?

Have you ever thought about taking a step into a painting and doing some research?

The Tate is inviting people to clamber over its artworks and have a good rummage.

There will be no security guards on duty.

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 two paintings to get this digital, 3D overhaul. Balonium

Jane Burton, Tate Media's Creative Director Jane Burton, Tate Media's Creative Director, explains that visitors will see a white cube which is the Tate Gallery.

"You walk in with the painting in your hands.

"What you can do now is walk right to the painting and then literally dive into it You jump into it, and that's where your adventure begins."

Enter the art

Visitors will have the chance to engage with the world of the painting.

To get a view of Nevinson's cityscape from the train, ride it. Have a snack while waiting for construction workers to finish the skyscrapers.

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

"You will be able to explore the various challenges and activities that connect to the themes of the art.

Jane Burton, whose children introduced Jane to the power and potential of Minecraft Jane Burton, who is the creator of Minecraft, says, "It's art history adventure,"

Adam Clarke, a well-known Minecraft creator, originally suggested that Minecraft exhibits be made.

He came up with the idea for Tate's IK Prize. This prize is given to an idea that uses digital technology to encourage people in the arts.

When the idea eventually came to fruition, Tate enlisted the skills of other famous Minecraft builders such as Dragnoz, Kupo, Featherblade and Tewkesape to build the worlds inspired by the famous images.

However there are those who aren't convinced.

Perspective

These Minecraft creations will give new, younger audiences a familiarity with artworks, so that when they see the originals in galleries, it will be as "seeing an old friend" according to Times art critic Rachel Campbell-Johnston.

This sense of recognition, "like seeing celebrities" is a powerful instrument to inspire art appreciation and encourage viewers.

"But paradoxically, the Minecraft works themselves offer an experience that is more pleasant," she continues.

"It feels more like entertainment rather than an imaginative relationship with the painting, when the 3D mapping of Minecraft replaces the realistic painting's illusionistic surfaces, doing the work for you."

Digital opening

You can download the two works of Derain and Nevinson on Monday.

Players have to pay to join the Minecraft community, however the maps available for download of Tate's images are free.

Six more 3D masterpieces are in the pipeline. Many will be watching closely to see how many people line up to attend Tate's Minecraft exhibition on Monday.

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