The world’s first virtual reality cinema has opened in Amsterdam — from springwise.com
The VR Cinema gives movie-goers an immersive experience via Samsung Gear VR, headphones, and 360 degree chairs.

Excerpt:

At the beginning of this month, the world’s first VR Cinema opened in Amsterdam.

The idea originated as a pop-up cinema touring cities in the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. Unlike a traditional cinema, the theatre uses Samsung Gear VR, combined with a Samsung Galaxy S6 and a 360 degree chair to allow people to look around freely through the film. This is combined with immersive headphones to give a full VR experience to those watching the films.

 

1st-VRCinema-March2016

Now showing:

  • In Your Face (&samhoud media, 2016)
    Barely containing our excitement, we present Europe’s first feature film in virtual reality in world’s first VR cinema! In Your Face is a production of director Jip Samhoud and was written by renowned Dutch author Ronald Giphart. The film explores the moral dilemma that the ongoing refugee crisis brings along: to what extent would you really take action and help? This is the question that award-winning actors Hadewych Minis and Tibor Lukács encounter when a TV show drops off a Syrian refugee unannounced. What would you do?

 

Addendum on 3/17/16:

  • Sky Announces Virtual Reality Production Studio — from vrguru.com by Constantin Sumanariu
    Excerpt:
    European pay TV giant Sky has launched a Virtual Reality production unit, Sky VR Studio, as it steps up its commitment to VR programming. The first pieces of fully-immersive VR content to be produced by the unit will be released on Friday — two films shot during Formula One testing in Barcelona, which will put viewers in the pit lane, the team garages and out onto the track.
 

Harvard’s new official tour app leverages augmented reality — from betaboston.com

 

New York Times showcases virtual reality technology — from browndailyherald.com by Harry August
Virtual reality, used to craft more immersive storytelling, risks providing less narrative context

 

Oculus preview event to highlight multiplayer games — from uploadvr.com

 

Woofbert are using VR to bring great art to everyone — from roadtovr.com by Kent Bye
Voices of VR Podcast – Episode #303

 

Woofbert VR

woofbertVR-Feb2016

 

Microsoft developing video calling that projects people in front of yYou — from gadgets.ndtv.com by Robin Sinha

 

Facebook has created a new ‘Social VR’ team to explore how we’ll communicate in virtual reality — from businessinsider.com by Jillian D’Onfro

 

I planned out my last vacation in virtual reality — here’s what it was like — from Business Insider By Brandt Ranj

 

Augmented reality looks to future where screens vanish — from interaksyon.com by Glenn Chapman

 

VR And AR will be mobile’s demand driver, not its replacement — from techcrunch.com by Mike Hoefflinger

Excerpt:

Projections for the big players
If things go in this direction, here’s how it may play out for The Big Six:

  • Apple…
  • Google…
  • Facebook…
  • Samsung…
  • Sony…
  • Microsoft…

 

 

Addendum:

 

LeapMotion-Feb2016

 

 

 

Paul Kaptein’s Sculptures — from theawesomer.com

 

 

This photograph of the NYC winter storm looks like an impressionist painting — from thisiscolossal.com by Christopher Jobson

 

 

 

 

Sublime and Wild South Asian Nature

SouthAsianNature-Feb2016

 

 

Autumn illustration made of 7 million inked dots — from fubiz.net

 

 

 

 

 

The work of Jati Putra Pratama

 

jatiputra-feb2016

 

 

 

9 creative photo ideas to try in February 2016 — from digitalcameraworld.com by Jeff Meyer

 

 

 

 

 

 

TopIllustrators2015

 

 

New York Public Library shares digital archive of 180,000 restriction-free images — from itsnicethat.com by Alexander Hawkins

Excerpt:

180,000 restriction-free images are now available in the New York Public Library digital collections. Including high res photographs, illustrations and maps, images can be downloaded easily and are free to share and use without permission. The collection can be viewed by genre or colour.

 

 

Hypnotic New Kinetic Sculptures by Anthony Howe — from thisiscolossal.com

 

 

 

Artists evolve: The dangers of creatively typecasting yourself — from 99u.com by Elizabeth Saunders

Excerpt:

It’s a deeply emotional struggle whenever we shift our fundamental “brand” or style of creative output. Picasso, Monet, and all creatives before and since have had to wrestle with the reality that to stay fresh, enthusiastic, and authentic, you have to disrupt yourself.

That takes courage.

In short: You are more than your “brand.” As a living, breathing, developing human being, you don’t need to be ashamed to change. It’s vulnerable to let go of some of the roles you’ve held for a very long time and the persona you’re known for. But it’s also incredibly freeing and an opportunity to truly come alive. Now is the time to be who you are now instead of carrying around the shell of who you once were.

 

 

Editorial Type

 

 

 

 

Illustrator Spotlight: Simón Prades

 

 

 

 

Illustrussia: January 15, 2016 — from designcollector.net

 

 

 

Stunning Storm Waves Photography — from fubiz.net by Steve Garrington

 

 

 

The Best Flickr Pictures 2015 — from fubiz.net

 

 

 

2015 Traveler Photo Contest

 

catchingaduck-nationalgeo

 

 

DPMag.com’s “Your Best Shot”

 

 

Addendum on 12/22/15:

The 100 best photographs ever taken without photoshop — from brightside.me; with a special thanks to George Kroner for his tweet on this

 

 

Celebrating Ludwig van Beethoven’s 245th Year <– a fun Google Doodle

 

beethoven-dec2015

 

 

WhatJaneSaw-Dec2015

You are invited to time travel to two art exhibitions witnessed by Jane Austen: the Sir Joshua Reynolds retrospective in 1813 or the Shakespeare Gallery as it looked in 1796. These two Georgian blockbusters took place, years apart, in the same London exhibition space at 52 Pall Mall (it no longer exists). When Austen visited in 1813, the building housed the British Institution, an organization promoting native artists. On her earlier London visit in 1796, it was the first-ever museum dedicated to William Shakespeare.

 

Museum collections enter VR with the launch of the Woofbert VR App for Samsung gear — from techcrunch.com by Jonathan Shieber
The museum and gallery world is getting is getting one of its first doorways into virtual reality with the launch of the new WoofbertVR app, (launched on 11/17/15) on Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus.

Excerpt:

The company has an amazing app which will soon be able to take users on a tour of several marquee museums with some of the best collections of art and artifacts in the world.

For its first offering, the company is offering users who download the app a free view into one of the most famous rooms in the Courtauld Gallery, a gallery housing one of London’s most famous art collections.

The gallery, on a bend North of the Thames near the Waterloo Bridge, holds a treasure trove of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces including works by Gauguin, Renoir, Manet, and Monet.

Through the first offering on the app, users get a voice guided tour of the room’s paintings narrated by the author Neil Gaiman (a Woofbert investor).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A virtual reality revolution, coming to a headset near you — from nytimes.com by Lorne Manly

Excerpts:

Virtual reality — once the stuff of science fiction — is still in its infancy. But there’s already a gold rush around the technology, which plunges viewers into a simulated 3-D environment and lets them explore their surroundings as if they were really there.

Technology and entertainment giants are betting billions that virtual reality is much more than a passing fad, one that will revolutionize the way we experience movies, news, sporting events, video games and more.

Meanwhile, filmmakers and other creators are grappling with an entirely new storytelling language and dealing with some formidable challenges — claustrophobic headsets that can make people cybersick.

Here, some of the other pioneers in film, journalism, sports and gaming talk about the potential and struggles of building a new art form from the ground up.

“You really engage on scene in a way that gives you this incredible connection to where you are,” Ms. de la Peña said. “And that’s why, early on, I was calling it an empathy generator, an empathy machine.”

 

 

VRHeadsetNearYou-NYTimes-Nov2015

 
 

ArtPrize2015

 

ArtPrize is a radically open international art competition decided by public vote and expert jury that takes place each fall in Grand Rapids, Michigan (USA).  For 19 days, art entries from all over the world cover three square miles of downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan—and it’s all free and open to the public.

 

Also see ArtPrize’s 2014 Annual Report:

 

ArtPrize2014AnnualReport

 

 

Augmented Reality


Augmented reality app brings art history to life — from creativebloq.com

Excerpt:

Dazzle It is a cool new augmented reality app that lets you remix artwork from artists including the Sir Peter Blake, Godfather of Pop Art –  best known for designing the 1967 Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover.

Developed by digital design agency, Corporation Pop, it combines the latest augmented reality techniques with design to bring history to life. And notably, unlike most augmented reality apps, you don’t need a pre-supplied marker to view what you create in a real-world scene.

 

7 Great Augmented Reality Apps for Your Classroom — from teachercast.net

Apps Discussed on the Show:

  • Aurasma
  • Anatomy 4D
  • ColAR
  • Spacecraft 3D
  • AR Flash Cards
  • Elements 3D
  • Google Translate

 

Angus park to host augmented reality performance — from scotsman.com with thanks to Woontack Woo for his posting on this

Excerpt:

A FOREST park in Angus is to host the UK’s first live ­theatrical performance featuring augmented reality (AR) technology.

By downloading an app, ­audiences will be able to spot magical creatures through their smartphones and capture them on camera, before sharing the images with friends and family on social media.

DragonQuest, which will be performed in Monikie Country Park, allows visitors to wander around a forest using their smartphone to create images of fantastical creatures in addition to real-life characters and events on the set.

 

Here are the signs that point to Apple’s next big innovation in computing, according to one analyst — from businessinsider.com

 

 

Check Out How These Teachers and Students are Using Augmented Reality — from emergingedtech.com

 

 

Using Augmented Reality for Learning and Teaching — from edtechreview.in by Prasanna Bharti

Excerpt:

Various Application of Augmented Reality in Learning Different Subjects

Astronomy: AR can be used to make student understand about the relationship between the Sun and the Earth. Here AR technology can be used with 3D rendered sun and earth shapes.

Chemistry: Teachers can demonstrate what a molecule and atoms consist of using AR technology.

Biology: Teachers can use Augmented Reality to showcase their student’s body structure or anatomy. Teachers can show their students different types of organ and how they look in a 3D atmosphere. Students can even study human body structure on their own by using devices with AR embedded technology in it.

Physics: Physics is one of the subjects where AR technology can be used perfectly. Various kinematics properties can be easily understood by using AR technology.

 

 


Virtual Reality


Virtual reality can take us to the world’s greatest museums — from venturebeat.com by Mike Minotti

London's The Courtauld Gallery.

 

How Virtual Reality Can Close Learning Gaps in Your Classroom — from edsurge.com

Excerpt:

Virtual Reality (VR) may be the type of educational breakthrough that comes along once in a generation, heralding a tectonic shift toward immersive content for teaching and instruction.

By presenting a complete view of the world in which it is situated, VR offers a new opportunity to close some of the pedagogical gaps that have appeared in 21st century classroom learning. These gaps stem from the fact that curriculum and content in education have not caught up with rapid technology advancements.

Below I introduce three of these gaps and how they might be addressed by virtual reality content soon to be produced and distributed commercially.

 

Google Cardboard offers virtual trip for Lawrence students — from www2.ljworld.com

Excerpt:

The Lawrence school district recently purchased 20 Google Cardboards, which beginning this school year are available for teachers to check out for use in their classrooms, said Joe Smysor, the district’s technology integration specialist. Cardboard works in conjunction with a smartphone app to deliver a 3-D, 360-degree navigable image. Students can use apps with Cardboard to virtually visit museums, landmarks or cities around the world.

“It’s going to allow teachers to take their class on field trips where school buses couldn’t otherwise go,” Smysor said. “That could be back 100 years in the past, or underwater.”

 

Virtual college tours with cardboard, a smartphone and YouVisit — from mystatesman.com by Omar L. Gallaga

Excerpt:

While college students are settling into their dorms, it’s already time for next year’s class of high school students to narrow down their potential school choices and schedule campus visits. Or maybe they can just stay home and start the journey virtually.

A site called YouVisit has a surprisingly large set of virtual-reality college tours available. All the major Texas colleges are represented, and one of them, Trinity University, has been making a big push to get cheap sets of cardboard VR goggles out to families at recruiting events such as college fairs. Trinity sent me a pair of the cardboard glasses. The virtual visit to the campus certainly wasn’t the same as being there, but to get at least a visual sense of what the campus looks like and to be generally wowed by the 3-D/360-degree effect, it was worth the trip.

 

Regis University Creates Remote Campus Tours with Primacy’s Virtual Reality Experience — from businesswire.com
Jesuit university builds on rich tradition of innovation by enabling immersive virtual tours using Oculus Rift technology and virtual reality headsets

Excerpt:

FARMINGTON, Conn. & DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Regis University today unveiled a unique new way for prospective students to tour and experience the school’s scenic 100-acre campus. Through an interactive, immersive experience created by independent agency Primacy, students are able to put on an Oculus Rift virtual reality (VR) headset and immediately be transformed to the campus where they can get a full, 360-degree tour as if they were on site – including viewing daybreak runs at Red Rocks, being immersed in Regis’ experiential nursing skills lab and visiting the campus pub to watch a live Jenga game.

 

 

GoPro is now selling its crazy 16-camera virtual reality rig — from theverge.com by Sean O’Kane
‘Odyssey’ is only available to pros

Excerpt:

Odyssey is the first camera rig built specifically for Google’s Jump platform, which was also announced at this year’s I/O conference. Jump is an entire virtual reality ecosystem that, in theory, will make it easier to both create and consume VR content. With Jump, Google created open plans that companies can use to build their own 16-camera rig (GoPro just happened to be the first), as well as assemble software that can recreate the scene being captured in much higher quality than most existing image stitching software can. Eventually, Jump videos will be hosted in YouTube; think of it as the next logical step following YouTube’s inclusion of 360-degree videos earlier this year.

 

Behind the Scenes of a Virtual Reality Beethoven Concert — from recode.net by Eric Johnson

Excerpt:

Are you a classical music fan? It’s a question most people would probably say no to, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic knows that.

“People are intimidated by classical music,” said Amy Seidenwurm, the Philharmonic’s director of digital initiatives. “They don’t come to concerts because they feel it might not be for them.”

But to change those minds, the LA Phil is turning to virtual reality. For the next month, it will be driving around the Los Angeles area to parks, festivals and museums, in a van outfitted with real carpeting and seats from the Walt Disney Concert Hall — and six Samsung Gear VR headsets, which have been loaded with a special video performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. (You know the one: Dun-dun-dun DUNNNN.)

The interior of the Van Beethoven van.

 

Inside Industrial Light & Magic’s secret Star Wars VR lab — from theverge.com by Bryan Bishop
ILMxLab isn’t just exploring the future of entertainment… they’re already making it

 

IndustrialLightMagic-2015

 

 


Addendums on 9/10/15:

 

Sony morpheus

 

 

5 augmented reality apps to alter your world — from cbronline.com with thanks to Woontack Woo for his posting on this
Learn more about Dazzle It, Streetmuseum, Skyview, Blippar and Colorblind Fix.

Excerpt:

Ever wanted to see the world around you in a different way? These apps will transform your phone into a portal to a world of altered perceptions.

 


 

Translating physical spaces into digital experiences — from create-hub.com by Sorcha Daly
Cultural institutions have a big challenge on their hands in a digital age. How does the experience of a physical space, of visiting a building housing priceless objects, one-of-a-kind artefacts and engaging exhibitions, translate digitally?

Excerpts:

We’re seeing a huge increase in digital engagement with cultural institutions, with online visitor numbers far outweighing the number of people who make it through the doors. The British Museum, for example, received a whopping 35.3 million online visitors in 2014, compared with an in itself record-breaking 6.8 million physical visitors, the most of any UK museum or gallery. Add to this an impressive social media haul and that’s a lot of people who are engaging with the institution away from the building. This pattern is common to cultural institutions across the board.

So how exactly is digital changing the way people experience cultural institutions and how can they start using these changes as ways to better engage with audiences?

Several galleries have been using iPhone apps as enhanced alternatives to the audio tour guides, complete with additional interviews and comments from curators and personalities. Tate Modern’s London’s guide to last year’s Matisse Cut-Outs exhibition was particularly good, featuring additional images and an audio biography of the artist’s life. The Art Gallery of NSW also introduced a Chinese language guide app after noticing that there were many Chinese visitors to the gallery who would benefit from additional content.

These apps could be really powerful if extended across the entire visit to unlock stories throughout the building. Imagine walking past an unremarkable-seeming sculpture, for instance, and a tap notification appearing on your Apple Watch displaying a fascinating fact about the significance of the object. This could be powered with simple iBeacons technology.

 

From DSC:
Might some of these same ideas and concepts be applied within our libraries? Our art galleries? Other locations?

 

DanielChristian-Combining-Digital-Physical-Worlds-Oct2014

 

From Zeina Chalich:

 

 

 

 

Impressive art made out of wood

Impressive Dragons Made Out Of Driftwood — from fubiz.net, featuring the work of Philippines-based artist James Doran-Webb

 

 

 

 

 

Bent Wood Objects by Joseph Walsh Studio Twist and Spiral into Extraordinary Forms — from thisiscolossal.com by Kate Sierzputowski featuring the works of Joseph Walsh

 

Walsh_08

 

 

 

 

Addendum:
Though not wood, this is creative nonetheless!

 

 
© 2025 | Daniel Christian