Spatium

SXSW 2017

SPATIUM (2017)

Directed by Roland Lane
Created by Inition
Premiere: SXSW 2017

A VR Experience celebrating the work of legendary hat designer Philip Treacy, which takes the viewer on a journey through an abstract world inspired by one of Treacy’s most iconic designs. SPATIUM premiered at the prestigious South by Southwest Film Festival (2017) in Austin, Texas, USA.

THE STORY

  • The ambition was to design and deliver a world-first roomscale virtual reality and spatial audio experience inspired by a Philip Treacy creation, to showcase at the world’s premiere convergence festival, SXSW.

    After deciding to collaborate with Inition, director Roland Lane devised the concept of a fully immersive film split into parts, each featuring an iconic hat brought to life in a different way.

    Created as roomscale VR for the HTC Vive, Spatium comprises of four abstract scenes where Treacy’s original creation is rendered into a unique VR object that users can explore and interact with to move each scene on. When seen from the front, the hat appears flat – yet the more you explore, the more you discover an ornate and elaborate structure. When struck by light it appears to glow.

  • These attributes are given such scale as to create a fantasy building, the surfaces of which change as you navigate them. In VR the hat becomes architecture – where the limitations of the physical no longer apply, inspiring wonder.

    “Fantasy hats give you the possibility to dream”

    Philip Treacy

    “To explore Philip Treacy’s beautiful and iconic work in this manner was a joy.”

    Roland Lane

  • Directed by Roland Lane
    VR Creative Direction: Alex Lambert & Louisa Bremner
    VR Creative Development: Daniel Lambert & Angelina Aleksandrovich
    Production Designers: Matthew Lambert, Andrew Mason & Lucio Cavallari
    Technical Artist: Sam Thomson
    3D Artists: Louisa Bremner & Nader Ebrahimi
    3D Development: Grigor Todorov & Pedro Sousa
    Unity Development: Chris Orphanides
    Sound and Audio: Mixed Immersion
    Original Music: Rhythm Section International & Hidden Spheres
    Director of Delivery: A. Baris Gencer
    Title Designer: Daniel Lambert
    Producer: Chris McKeeman
    Executive Producers: Olivia Lory Kay, Alex Lambert, Roland Lane & Adrian Leu
    Publicity: Maira Hayat

“With so many headset experiences it was hard to choose a standout example. Spatium, which celebrated the sculptural qualities of one of Philip Treacy’s millinery creations, won for its visual artistry”

OMD Review - March 20th, 2017.