You put on a headset, step into a large empty space, and then you’re gone. Not figuratively, but literally: the physical world disappears, and what remains is ancient Egypt. Colossal temples, sandstorms, walls of hieroglyphs that light up. Neoseum is located in the Stopera, the city hall and music theater complex on Waterlooplein, where it offers a VR experience unlike anything you’ve ever tried in this category.
The person behind the launch of the Netherlands’ first VR museum is Fenna Ketting. The concept she and her team have developed is called Synthetic Reality: free-roam VR in large physical spaces, where the image quality is so high that the subconscious accepts the virtual world as real. That’s not just a marketing slogan; it’s a technical description of what happens in your mind. The brain isn’t easily satisfied. If even the slightest thing is off, you see right through it. Here, it’s spot on.
The exhibition currently on display in Amsterdam is called *Voyage of the Pharaohs*. For twenty minutes, you walk through ancient Egypt, guided by an AI that responds to where you are standing and what you’re looking at. You move freely through the space, turning around and looking up. There’s no joystick to control your movement, no controller to press. The only input is you. That sounds simple, but it makes a huge difference: your body moves the way it always does, and the virtual world adapts to that.
Your body moves just as it always does, and the virtual world adapts to that.
The Stopera isn’t an obvious spot for a VR attraction, but it works. The building has space, it has charm, and it’s located on Waterlooplein, right in the heart of the city, between the market and the canal. Neoseum fits in better than you might expect. You step inside from the square, put on a headset, and find yourself three thousand years ago. Twenty minutes later, you’re back on the sidewalk. Waterlooplein is exactly the same. For a moment, you feel a little less certain about what’s real.
Museums
Culture