IDEAL separates fact from fiction in new Pompeii exhibition

Towering flames of lava taking over the skies, ash and soot flooding homes and buildings; utter devastation and total destruction inevitable. 

‘The Last Days of Pompeii’ is the newest exhibition from IDEAL Digital Arts Centre, taking visitors back to 79 AD and one of the most compelling episodes of ancient history.

The experience seeks to bring visitors closer to the lives and culture of the people who lived in the shadow of Vesuvius.

The 360-degree immersive room allows visitors to experience the moment of the volcano's eruption, while virtual reality takes them into the heat of gladiator battles in an amphitheater, while in the metaverse, they will explore the daily life of the Pompeians.

The exhibit takes a lot of inspiration from the 1834 novel by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, a piece of fiction that has gone on to become a cornerstone of how people have constructed a hyper-real vision of the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the devastation unleashed on the thousands of residents of the ancient city.

But that novel was a work of fiction. In reality, people were not submerged under lava, but rather, it’s now believed that most died from asphyxiation from the hot ash and gas surging from the eruption. 

IDEAL plays in the boundaries between artistic fiction and scientific rigour, combining art, technology, and science to tell compelling stories, working in conjunction with archaeologists to separate myth from reality. 

On display are true elements from this ancient civilisation, such as a marble bust of Lucius Caesar, the grandson of Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, as well as a steelyard balance used to weigh goods in the market.

One of the most impactful aspects of any trip to Pompeii is seeing the bodies of the victims of the volcano. Some plaster casts of victims are on display, created using the same technology as those on display in Pompeii were made, done by filling liquid plaster into the spaces the victims' bodies vacated after they were submerged. 

Speaking to the Catalan News Agency, the director of IDEAL, Jordi Sellas, says that the latest exhibit is "a perfect fusion between fiction, the fantasy of the past and the scientific rigor of the present." 

‘The Last Days of Pompeii’ is open from March 20, not in IDEAL’s usual Poblenou location, but instead in Palau Victòria Eugènia, in Montjuïc, as the Poblenou space undergoes renovations. 

The IDEAL experience will be inaugurated on Saturday, March 21, with an event at the Magic Fountains of Montjuïc, where the Banyoles 'manaies' will participate, complete with their Roman gladiator costumes and weapons, which they wear during Holy Week.