Exhibition uses virtual reality, 360º projection, holograms, artefacts and interactive displays to bring the story of the Egyptian ruler to life
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Shakespeare, Chaucer, Plutarch, Hollywood, Asterix.
Stories of Cleopatra VII – the last ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom Of Egypt – have long echoed down the years, spun into great romances and decorated with Elizabeth Taylor’s vibrant eye shadow.
But, while Cleopatra: The Experience – an immersive exhibition that’s set for a 15-week run at Excel’s Immerse LDN in Royal Docks from March 26 – has its genesis in her enduring popularity, it’s been created with the aim of revealing the person at the heart of those tales.
“She’s a pop icon and there’s a legend behind her, but we wanted to show the real woman, drawing on what contemporary sources and classical authors said about her,” said Nacho Ares, scriptwriter and curator of the exhibition for its producer Madrid Artes Digitales (MAD).
Nacho, a broadcaster and Egyptologist isn’t new at this.
He first worked with MAD on Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition, which enjoyed a run at Excel last year and has now been seen by more than 2million people.
In similar vein, the new show uses technology – holograms, virtual reality, 360º projection and even scents – to bring Cleopatra and her world to life for visitors.
“I’ve been interested in Egyptology since I was a young teenager,” said Nacho.
“I read a history of archaeology – Gods, Graves And Scholars – and I fell in love with the history of the tomb of Tutankhamun.
“I was interested in anything related to ancient Egypt.
“I first visited in 1991 at the age of 21 and it was incredible. I became involved with MAD in 2022 through a friend who is a member of the Spanish Egyptology Association in Madrid.
“They were looking for a writer with experience of TV and so on – back then it was a company of four people and now we have 30.
“It was a dream to bring our Tutankhamun exhibition to Britain, the home of Howard Carter, who discovered his tomb – that was a lovely moment in my life.
“I think Cleopatra will also be a great success because there are so many mysteries and she’s an amazing character.
“We still don’t know where her tomb is – many people have looked around Alexandria and they are still searching today.
“She remains very popular and we’re here to present her biography.”
Cleopatra: The Experience – unlocking an audience
Part of the exhibition’s mission is to bring that story to a new audience.
Dr Chris Naunton, is a British Egyptologist, writer and broadcaster, acting as official ambassador for Cleopatra: The Experience.
He said: “I worked for the Egypt Exploration Society from 2001 to 2016, and was its director for the last few years of the period.
“My work nowadays is mostly writing, some of which has informed the content of this exhibition, which is a great honour for me.
“I think the technical side of it is amazing.
“It’s important for Egyptology to use whatever methods there are to reach a wider audience and Cleopatra is an obvious subject for that.
“While her story is superficially well known, that has more to do with her legend.
“There was a real woman and this exhibition grounds audiences very well in what the evidence really shows about her life.
“What people will see isn’t made up, it’s based on historical sources.
“The trouble with trying to present a story like this in a conventional way is that there are so many gaps.
“It’s difficult to tell the story of Cleopatra through objects, because we have so little – except classical sources, which were often written by her enemies, and aren’t all contemporary accounts.
“Sometimes they were written with particular intentions in mind.
“The exhibition treads the line very well.
“It’s not dry, which just presenting the evidence we have, might be.
“My sense is that the video game generation will not be engaged by a traditional exhibition.
“But what this exhibition gives us as Egyptologists, is the opportunity to reach people who would never leave their sofas to visit a museum.”
What we do know is that Cleopatra VII’s story is remarkable – one of finely balanced power and intrigue.
a skilled politician
“She ruled at the end of a period of 300 years, during which Egypt was run from Alexandria by a family of Macedonian Greek origin, descending from Ptolemy I,” said Chris.
“He was one of Alexander The Great’s generals. During this period, the kingdom was influenced to some extent by Greek culture – the Greek language and script became the administrative language, for example – but it was still very much the Egypt of its traditional gods.
“Cleopatra comes in at the end of this dynasty, ruling initially alongside her brother, at a time when Egypt was very much part of an international scene.
“By the end of the Ptolemaic period in Egypt, Rome has become the most important power.
“The versions found in the movie and Asterix tell a story of a richly drawn character, a wily, beautiful woman.
“What all the ancient sources agree on is that Rome is increasingly important, exerting more influence on Cleopatra and her family.
“In making allies of Roman leaders Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, regardless of any romance that may or may not have happened, she was undoubtedly doing the right thing for Egypt.
“I think we can certainly say she was extremely skilful politically and she was a great survivor.
“It was a time of great in-fighting in the Ptolemaic family, a time of great intrigue.
“Her relationship with her brother, Ptolemy XIII, doesn’t work out very well – there’s a war – then her relationship with Caesar is disrupted by his assassination in Rome.
“Her relationship with Antony is only brought to an end by the irresistible force of Octavian, who defeats them.
“The threat of Rome taking over the whole of the Mediterranean had been coming for decades, something that could be seen as having been held back by her for quite a long time.
“There is a fascinating story to tease out, which I think is historically valid and goes beyond the Hollywood version.
“My take is she was a very successful politician.”
key details: Cleopatra: The Experience
Cleopatra: The Experience is set to run at Immerse LDN on the southern edge of Excel from March 26 for 15 weeks.
Tickets are on sale now, from £29 for adults and from £24 for children aged 4-15. Group packages and school bookings are available.
The experience lasts around 90 minutes and is open every day from 10am.
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