INTERVIEW: Beauty of the Sistine Chapel comes to Downtown Manhattan
Sometimes a trip to Rome and the Vatican is not always a possibility. Airfares are expensive. Hotels are booked up months in advance. Lines can be hours long. However, the beauty of the Sistine Chapel, one of Michelangelo’s masterpieces, doesn’t have to stay relegated to textbooks and documentaries. The artist’s craftsmanship is now on tour with Up Close: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, which is currently on display at The Oculus in Downtown Manhattan.
The museum-like exhibition hosts includes near life-size reproductions of Michelangelo’s work, based on Erich Lessing’s photography. Better yet, the reproductions of the memorable frescoes are not hanging on a ceiling, forcing the audience to look skyward. Instead, they are located in accessible areas for close-up viewing.
The Oculus is located at the Westfield World Trade Center in Downtown Manhattan, and the exhibition runs through July 23. Up Close then travels to the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey, for an engagement Sept. 1 to Oct. 15. Other cities on the Up Close tour include Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Chicago and Annapolis, Maryland.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Scott Sanders, Westfield’s creative head of global entertainment, about the new exhibition. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What can audiences expect at the Up Close: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel exhibit?
Encompassing 7,000 square feet of space within The Oculus at Westfield World Trade Center, the exhibit gives visitors an opportunity to intimately observe Michelangelo’s work ‘up close’ for a unique perspective that cannot be experienced anywhere else. Visitors can take their time with the art and inspect the artist’s work in detail — a luxury that isn’t possible with the original works.
Do you believe this exhibit rivals the original? Enhances it?
For our guests and visitors, this is a unique opportunity to be immersed into Michelangelo’s timeless frescoes in a way that cannot be experienced anywhere else. From Westfield’s perspective, a core objective has been designing the layout of the exhibit in such a way that maximizes its sensory impact upon the viewer. Ultimately, we have sought to leverage the size and scale of the panels in a powerful and exciting way.
How meticulous was the re-creation?
It was serendipitous that SEE Entertainment was able to help us to realize this unique exhibit of Erich Lessing’s photographic reproductions of Michelangelo’s masterpieces. Westfield licensed the art from photographer Erich Lessing and SEE Global Entertainment, then designed the exhibit for the Oculus and the U.S. tour across Westfield’s properties.
Have you seen the original in the Vatican? What was going through your mind during that experience?
I have not had the privilege of visiting the Vatican.
What’s the future hold for the Up Close: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel exhibit?
The exhibit debuted in New York June 23 and will be open through July 23 in The Oculus at Westfield World Trade Center, followed by a six-week exhibition at Westfield Garden State Plaza Sept. 1-Oct. 15 and six subsequent cities: Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Chicago and Annapolis, Maryland. Tickets are available at www.westfield.com/upclose.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Up Close: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel is currently running at The Oculus at Westfield World Trade Center. Click here for more information and tickets.
