Final report by Farhia Omar, MA Strategic Fashion Marketing, LCF
funded by the Post-Grad Community Project Fund
M3i: The Immersive Experience was an event that aimed at exposing people to 360° video technology and the ways in which we experience that technology. We hoped to make the viewer see the world around them in a way they haven’t seen before.
As a project, M3i: The Immersive Experience had its start at Modual in the halls of Somerset House Studios. It is in this environment where we (five students from different disciplines: business, fine art, graphic design, media) gathered together and created something that modified and reimagined the way we see. We did this through the use of enhanced 360° camera footage and virtual reality.
M3i, which stands for My Third Eye, started out as an accessory company whose goal was to create devices that would help people record their memories and relive them through the virtual reality experience. VR (virtual reality) technology was a part of delivering this experience but due to budget constraints VR headsets were substituted for google cardboard which recreated a similar experience.
Very early on it was important for the team to meet in a convenient location so as to accommodate everyone. This happened to be CSM. It is at CSM that our initial meeting took place and it was at this meeting where we planned out how to approach and execute the vision we had for the event. Our footage was shot on a night train with a mannequin. The final result gave the viewer the experience of being both participant and passerby at the same time and this in turn created a surreal scene which helped to illustrate the blurring of life on the physical plane and life in the digital sphere.
The blurring of these two lines was the main aim of the project and so it was rewarding to see the positive response. For most of the event, staged in the Street at CSM, we were fielding questions and allowing students to take turns with the VR headset which was exciting to see.
We appreciate the UAL Post-Graduate Community for giving us the opportunity to experiment and further pursue this exciting project. Thankfully, the event was a great success and the Post-Graduate Community’s guidance and assistance throughout the process was invaluable. We hope to continue with this project into the future.