Pompeii Immersive Exhibition at Grand Palais Blends Archaeology and Virtual Reality

The Grand Palais in Paris presents 'Pompéi. Éruption, disruption,' an immersive exhibition from July 1 to November 2, 2020, curated by Massimo Osanna, director general of the Pompeii Archaeological Park. The show reconstructs a Roman street with video projections animating ancient villas and frescoes, and offers a virtual eruption experience with ash rain and pyroclastic flows. It features recent archaeological finds including a statue of Livia, a fresco of Venus on an elephant-drawn chariot, and a marble rabbit. The exhibition taps into contemporary trends like escape games and virtual travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, echoing Umberto Eco's concept of hyperreality and Jorge Luis Borges' map allegory. Critic Richard Leydier notes that while the show provides a substitute for visiting the actual site, it omits the broader cultural legacy of Pompeii, which has inspired thinkers from Freud to contemporary artists like Claudio Parmiggiani. The eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, which killed Pliny the Elder and buried Pompeii and Herculaneum, remains a foundational trauma in Western imagination, and the exhibition focuses on current research and immersive experience rather than historical narrative.