The Victoria and Albert Museum is inviting people to join a “mind-bending trip” into its Alice In Wonderland exhibition – without having to leave the sofa.
Fans of the Lewis Carroll classic will be able to “travel down the rabbit hole” into a virtual space.
The opening of the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition has been postponed until March next year because of the pandemic.
But the museum said an at-home, virtual reality event, ahead of the opening, will transport “visitors into the world of Wonderland”.
Embracing the “dreamlike qualities” of the story, it will offer a “preview of the exhibition bringing environments and exhibits to life”.
Kate Bailey, senior curator of theatre and performance at the V&A, said: “Since their creation the Alice books, with their mind-blowing ideas and concepts, have been a source of inspiration for new technologies from silent film to CGI.
“It has been an extraordinary adventure… to take our exhibition into a playful new dimension of VR.
“Alice’s impossible journey through a fantastical universe becomes possible in this exciting new creative platform.
“From rabbit holes to mirrors, flamingoes to hedgehogs, Wonderland is the perfect world for VR and the V&A is delighted to be pioneering our first ever VR event.”
The V&A said the event will be accessible to audiences with or without a VR headset.
The exhibition will also have its own VR experiences.
The free event, produced in partnership with HTC Vive Arts, takes place on October 22, when tickets go on sale for Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser, which opens on March 27 next year.
