Squint/Opera, a London- and New York-based creative digital studio, has completed the final phase of a new permanent immersive digital exhibition at the Empire State Building.
Part of the iconic New York building's reimagined Observatory Experience, the exhibit spans more than 35,000 sq ft (3250 sq m) and features large scale projection-mapped displays and single-use virtual viewers. It was developed in partnership with exhibition designer firm Thinc Design and creative audio studio Antfood, with Squint/Opera creating all of the digital elements for more than 40 unique exhibits within the permanent exhibition. Throughout the process, the company used Spaceform, a data-driven VR design tool developed by the Squint/Opera, to build a 3D visualisation of the Empire State Building interior
Taking guests on a journey through the history of the Empire State Building, the exhibit includes an immersive recreation of the building's construction, using Lewis Hine's iconic photography. It was created in consultation with researchers and experts, and combines 3D models, historic footage and visual effects to recreate street and construction scenes which visitors’ step into on the first floor.
A VR animated film, featuring King Kong, allows guests to watch as the giant gorilla tries to make his escape up the Empire State Building, as he is pursued by birds and fighter planes. Guests can even climb into his hand, which rumbles in sync with his groans and roars.
Callum Cooper, director at Squint/Opera says: “The Empire State Building’s Observatory Experience exhibition was ambitious from start to finish and gave Squint/Opera’s creatives the opportunity to collaborate with historians and top film talent to create an experience which truly brings together the physical and the digital."
"The result is a multi-sensory journey through one of the world’s most famous buildings. Projects with such a wide range of media-driven experiences are rare, and it is wonderful to know that the experience of millions of visitors each year will be enhanced by our work,” Cooper adds.
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