Walk like an Egyptian: Immersive Cleopatra exhibition opens next month in Rosemont
The story of the last great queen of ancient Egypt will be brought to life through holograms, 360-degree projections, virtual reality and an interactive metaverse next month in Rosemont.
“Cleopatra, The Immersive Exhibition” is the next experience coming to EXP Rosemont, the 26,000-square-foot immersive art venue that opened a little more than a year ago at 9900 Berwyn Ave. in The Pearl District.
The show’s Nov. 20 opening will mark its North American premiere, following previous engagements in Madrid and London that welcomed 350,000 people, officials said.
The 80-minute multisensory production — a creation of Madrid-based design studio MAD Artes Digitales — takes visitors into the world of ancient Egypt and the life of Cleopatra VII through five distinct environments. Set in 1st-century B.C., the presentation tracks the queen’s rise to power, role as a political strategist, her relationships with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, and the mythology that has surrounded her for centuries, according to an announcement.
The show was secured in Rosemont by Infinity Experiences, a division of Montreal-based PHI Studio, which operates and curates programming at the municipal-owned building under a 2024 agreement with the village.
“Cleopatra is one of the most fascinating figures in history, and this experience offers a completely new way to step into her world and explore the woman behind the legend,” Eric Albert, Infinity’s CEO, said in the announcement. “Bringing the North American premiere of ‘Cleopatra, The Immersive Exhibition’ to EXP Rosemont gives Chicago-area audiences the opportunity to experience ancient Egypt and Rome through an incredible combination of technology, storytelling and historical detail. It’s exactly the kind of immersive experience we want to bring to EXP.”
Albert told the Daily Herald earlier this year that he planned to bring “Space Explorers: The Infinite” — a virtual reality show that uses some 250 hours of content filmed at the International Space Station — to EXP this fall. But there’s been a change to the programming schedule, officials said.
The venue just wrapped up a five-month run of “Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue,” an interactive experience based on the popular video game.
Tickets for the Cleopatra production, which start at $35.95, go on sale Oct. 28 at EXPRosemont.com.
cplacek@dailyherald.com