With VR and Metaverse: Experience the last days of Pompeii
Immerse yourself in living history: an immersive exhibition brings the last days of Pompeii back to life. heise online went on a journey through time.
Immersive film symbolically shows the rediscovery of the city of Pompeii in 1748.
(Image: Madrid Artes Digitales)
If you want to experience virtual reality and are interested in history, the exhibition "The Last Days of Pompeii" is well worth a visit. The exhibition begins with a tour including information boards, replicas and artifacts that prepare visitors for life at the time of the Roman Empire –, especially in the ancient city of Pompeii –. Its dramatic downfall due to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius is central to the exhibition. heise online visited the exhibition at the Obex in Oberhausen.
Three immersive experiences
At the heart of the exhibition are three immersive experiences – two of which are seated. Behind the immersive art experience is a collaboration between"Madrid Artes Digitales" and "Alegria Exhibition", with the latter responsible for the specially composed music. MAD is a Spanish initiative of three art companies for immersive art and cultural experiences that aims to make art tangible with 360° projections, virtual reality and interactive tools.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externes Video (TargetVideo GmbH) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (TargetVideo GmbH) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
An immersive film is projected at a height of eight meters and contains a wealth of information from historical documents such as letters. During the journeys through the danger zone and the destroyed Pompeii, "motion sickness" may occur. The soundtrack for this artistic film was produced by René Merkelbach and a symphony orchestra with more than 50 musicians. If you would like to listen to it, you can do so that on Spotify. The music is also set to the letters of Pliny the Younger from 79 AD to the historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus.
In these letters, Pliny the Younger describes his observations from Misenum, which is about 25 kilometers from Vesuvius, and the rescue mission of his uncle Pliny the Elder, a scholar who was a naval commander in Misenum at the time. Pliny the Elder became aware of an "unusual cloud" over Mount Vesuvius and sailed there out of interest. Requests for help from friends led him to enter the danger zone, which meant his end.
Videos by heise
Virtual carriage ride and villa visit
In another VR experience, visitors are given VR goggles for a virtual ride in a chariot, the destination of which is a gladiatorial battle in an amphitheater.
In another room, guests can put on VR goggles and transform themselves into virtual avatars visiting an ancient villa. Thanks to Roomscale VR, visitors can also walk around gardens, visit the atrium, walk through halls and visit baths. Other people in the room were displayed as busts, complete with hands, all with the same avatar.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externes YouTube-Video (Google Ireland Limited) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (Google Ireland Limited) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
At the end of the exhibition, an AI photo mirror offers guests a playful opportunity to have themselves portrayed as a patrician. This works more or less well, depending on how tall the people are.
The international exhibition, which was awarded the "National Geographic + Historia Readers' Choice Award", can be seen in Germany not only at the Obex in Oberhausen but also at the New Media Art Center in Berlin. Regular tickets are available for 28 euros (26 euros in Berlin). In contrast to the exhibition in Berlin, stroboscopic light is used in Oberhausen, as can be seen from the respective FAQs. Epileptics are therefore not advised to visit the optional Metaversum part of the exhibition in Oberhausen. This is not the case in the Berlin exhibition.
(mack)
