HBO’s blockbuster fantasy series Game of Thrones returns April 24, but before you find out if Jon Snow is really dead (our theory: he’s probably, most definitely, not dead), the network is offering fans a chance to travel to Westeros through an interactive art installation in New York City.
An exhibition called Art of the Throne will feature commissioned works by five artists inspired by characters and events from the televisions series. The ambitious installations will be shown to an invited group of viewers only on April 20 in New York, but in the meantime the network is launching an online video series to take viewers behind the scenes as the artists plan their creations.
What to expect? Brooklyn graphics collective Pop Chart Lab is building a 12-foot-tall illuminated manuscript carved on red glass. The work is inspired by season three’s pivotal “Red Wedding” scene, during which a chunk of the Stark family was brutally murdered off in a conspiratorial massacre orchestrated by Lord Walder Frey, Roose Bolton and Tywin Lannister. “It’s going to be aggressive to stand in front of because it’s 12-feet-tall and glowing red,” said designer Ashley Walker.
Fashion art duo Cyrcle will create an inverted golden crown and mirrored room as a nod to the constantly shifting power structures in the show. To get the full effect of the installation, titled Overthrone, visitors will have to walk into the structure and read a poem written inside.
Daenerys Targaryen was a muse for Los Angeles street artist Tristan Eaton, who will create an Andy Warhol-esque, Pop Art infused portrait of the Mother of Dragons.
Illustrator Marcos Chin has been most captivated by knight and warrior Brienne of Tarth, who he calls a “badass” (as you can see in the video below). His depiction of her will be animated and projected in the final show.
And paper sculptor Jeff Nishinaka was terrified and excited by the army of the White Walkers. He’s confronting his fears by recreating the White Walker who beat up Jon Snow at the end of season five by cutting and layering bits of white paper to make the creature’s armory and icy face.
The Art of the Throne videos can be viewed online on Vibe and the HBO website. An exclusive video with more details on how the works were created will debut on HBO NOW on April 21.
