Dalí Alive: Journey into the Mind of a Surrealist Master

Grande's Creative Director, Andrew Montague, guides us through the creative process behind Dalí Alive - A Journey into the Mind of a Surrealist Master.

Dalí Alive is an immersive and multi-sensory experience, offering a surreal glimpse into the visionary world of Salvador Dalí. The experience explores Dalí's larger-than-life personality, his progressive ideas and his surrealist art on a huge scale.

Q: How did the creative process start for Dalí Alive?

A: Everything began with the narrative – determining which aspects of Dalí's artistic life would be the most compelling stories to tell. Working closely with The Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, FL who has in-depth expertise on the artist and access to his works and archival materials – we landed on telling the story of Dalí’s redemption – his ability to learn and rise from setbacks and grow in a triumphant way. 

We identified aspects of his life and career that were both dramatic and would connect with the audience. While the narrative is linear, we didn't want to make a simple chronological slideshow of Dalí's artworks. Instead, we focused on finding the story's emotional beats and threading his incredible artwork through that narrative.

Q: Can you tell us about the narrative?

A: The narrative is split into four sections, each with chapters: Dalí's early life in Spain, Paris, America, and back to Spain later in his career. Within those chapters, we found the emotional beats that define Dalí's life story. These included his experience of being a "replacement child" for his older brother who died young, his mother's death when he was 16, the rift between him and his father, Dalí's relationship with his wife Gala, and joining the Surrealist movement.

The editing and music move with these beats, conveying the tone for the visitor. The music is essential for moving from sombre moments to the more extravagant side of Dalí's persona.

Q: What can visitors expect from the experience?

A: We hope visitors will get a sense of not only Dalí's larger-than-life persona, but his immense talent. We want visitors to understand the significant impact he had not just on art but also on culture - Dalí pushed boundaries and his work and legacy continue to inspire.

We also want visitors to get a sense of what Dalí was like. We take visitors into his mind and give them a vision of his universe - a where Dalí's unparalleled creativity forms; then we show how those ideas go from his subconscious onto canvas.

Q: What would Dalí think of the experience?

A: We hope that Dalí would love it! He was always on the cutting-edge and had a fascination with science and new technology, he would likely be experimenting with digital art, and would love that there is so much interest in his work.

Q: What's your favourite Dalí quote?

"When we are asleep in this world, we are awake in another."

Dalí Alive is now available for touring in the US. Send a message to Grande's Head of Museums & Galleries, Soraia Salvador for more information.