The smash-hit immersive exhibition depicting Tutankhamun's journey into the afterlife arrives in the UK for a 14-week run at Immerse LDN.
Photo: Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition
In 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter uncovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. That discovery - which is regarded as one of the 20th century's most significant archaeological finds - quickly turned the little-known pharaoh into one of the most famous people in the world some 3,000 years after his death and sparked an interest in Ancient Egypt previously not seen by the general public - a phenomenon dubbed 'Tutmania'.
Now, a little over 100 years on from Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition has arrived in London for a 14-week run at Immerse LDN below the Excel Centre. The exhibition has been on a world tour over the last few years and has already surpassed over 1.8 million visitors - a staggering number that shows the public's interest in Tutankhamun is as strong as ever.
A mix of 360-degree immersive projections, virtual reality, and holograms alongside more traditional displays of replicas, Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition promises to transport visitors back to Ancient Egypt in a way those who have attended previous exhibitions on King Tut could only have dreamed of.
Photo: Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition
The opening rooms of Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition looks a lot like any other museum exhibition. Large wall-mounted panels provide information and context about Tutankhamun, their place in Egyptian civilisation, and their lineage; glass cabinets house numerous objects, and in the centre of the room is a golden funerary mask and sarcophagus. While nearly all of the items on display at this exhibition are, in fact, replicas (the originals are now part of a permanent collection at the Great Egyptian Museum in Giza), they give you an appreciation for the care and detail put into all the objects left to help the pharaoh on his journey into the afterlife.
Further into the exhibition, the focus shifts to Howard Carter and explores his life leading up to and following the discovery of the tomb. Most of his excavations were funded by English aristocrat George Herbert, who had provided Carter with one final season's worth of funding just prior to the tomb's uncovering. Replicas of Carter's meticulous notes and sketches from that time are on display, which demonstrates just how methodically they worked after their discovery. Every item was catalogued, and blueprints of the tomb's layout and contents were documented with care and precision - something that was often far from the norm at the time.
Photo: Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition
The exhibition's main space, which offers 360-degree projections, lies behind a curtain at the far end of the traditional exhibition space. In stark contrast to some of the small trinkets and sheets of paper in the previous rooms, everything in this space is writ large. Standing 8 metres tall, the four walls of the space display an ever-changing series of bright, colourful, Instagrammable animations on a 30-minute loop. It's by far the most impressive part of Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition and will be the space visitors will likely spend most of their visit in, but it's worth noting that once visitors enter this room, the vast majority of the exhibition's educational information is now behind them.
Broken up into eight chapters, covering everything from the origins of Egypt, the discovery of the tomb and the Egyptians' beliefs in life after death, the visuals constantly shift and evolve as they progress through each chapter. Nearly all of the content on offer in this room is abstract, and there's no storyline or dialogue to follow besides a brief chapter made up of footage from archival British Pathé newsreels. While the highlight of this section is Tutankhamun's journey into the realm of Osiris, in which the camera rapidly flies along the River Nile as the pharaoh journeys into the afterlife, we'd recommend staying in the space for the full 30-minute loop to get the most out of it. The room's size is quite stunning and truly engulfs your vision, absorbing you into the experience.
Photo: Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition
Later in the exhibition is the first of two virtual reality scenes. With visitors wearing their own headsets and seated on a swivel chair, they're free to look around as they again follow Tutankhamun's journey into the afterlife. Anyone familiar with the VR sections of Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience will notice some similarities, with constantly shifting vantage points and scenes on offer as you soar through the sky. After narrowly avoiding rivers of molten lava, the climax of this scene has Tutankhamun having his soul weighed against a feather - a judgement that will decide his fate in the afterlife.
VR headsets later return for another scene, which allows visitors to step into the Metaverse and explore a virtual space on foot. Starting in Howard Carter's excavation camp, they're soon transported into the tombs below. This scene works in the same way as Horizon of Khufu, a VR experience that allows visitors to explore virtual renderings of the Giza Plateau and the Great Pyramid of Giza. Walking around this space alongside a dozen or more Howard Carter avatars, all gliding around without an expression adds some light-hearted humour to this portion of the exhibition, even if it's unintentional.
Photo: Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition
For many years now, London hasn't been short of immersive experiences that use projections. Long before the likes of Lightroom and Frameless opened, Immersive Van Gogh showed that there's a continued appetite for these kinds of experiences. In recent years, there's been a notable shift towards more educational immersive projections, with the likes of The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks at Lightroom and the BBC Earth Experience in Earl's Court leading the way. This exhibition feels like the next step in that journey, with history being presented on a scale not often seen.
While there's constant debate around just how 'immersive' these kinds of experiences really are, they undoubtedly offer a modern, engaging way to learn about the world around us that's not always possible in traditional museum spaces. Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition manages to strike a balance between being both educational and entertaining and is an enjoyable couple of hours for families and groups looking to learn (a bit) more about Ancient Egypt, their views on eternal life, and the legacy of the boy king.
★★★½
Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition runs from 28th March to 29th June 2025 at Immersive LDN, Excel London. To find out more and book tickets, visit tutankhamunexperience.com/london
For more coverage and reviews of experiences like Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition, check out our recent Reviews.
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