Tate Gallery Teams up With Minecraft

Tate Gallery teams up with Minecraft By Dougal Shaw Technology reporter

21 November 2014

The Tate Gallery will exhibit some of its most well-known artworks in 3D within the virtual world of Minecraft. Is this a good way for art to be appreciated?

Have you ever thought about stepping into a painting, and then taking a look around it?

The Tate invites you to walk over its art and enjoy exploring.

There won't be any security guards on duty.

It has teamed up to the Minecraft creators - an online game in which millions of gamers take their time to create worlds of fantasy block-by-block, to create 3D versions for two of its paintings for an online gallery.

The first painting to undergo this digital, 3D transformation was Andre Derain's 1906 painting The Pool of London and Christopher Nevinson's depiction of New York City, Soul of the Soulless City (1920).

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 hand.

"What you can do now is take a walk towards the painting and plunge into it. This is where the adventure starts."

Enter the art

Visitors will have the chance to engage with the painting's world.

To see Nevinson's cityscape from the train, ride it. Or stop for sandwiches with the builders while they take a break from building towers.

Visitors should be cautious of pirates on the Thames when they visit Derain's photograph. They can also experiment with explosive paint pigments.

"You explore activities and challenges which are connected to the themes of the artwork.

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

The idea to exhibit in Minecraft originally came from artist Adam Clarke, who is an established creator in the Minecraft community.

He put the idea forward for Tate's IK Prize, which is awarded to an idea that utilizes digital technology to inspire 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 create the worlds inspired by the famous images.

However, not everyone is convinced.

Perspective

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

That feeling of recognition, "like seeing a celebrity" is a powerful way to help appreciate art and encourage audiences.

She continues, "But ironically the Minecraft works themselves provide a flatter experience."

"It is more of an entertainment than an imaginative relationship to the painting, when 3D mapping in Minecraft replaces the real painting's illusionistic surface, doing the work for me."

Digital opening

The two pieces by Derain and Nevinson will be available to download on Monday.
minecraft server list

Minecraft players must pay for membership, but the maps that are downloaded and Tate's photos are for free.

Six more 3D masterpieces are in the pipeline. Many will be keeping an eye on the web to see how many people line up for Tate's Minecraft exhibition on Monday.

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