A pop-up immersive experience is set to transport people across Wales’ most treasured historical places through a virtual reality film using the latest 360-degree capturing technology.
Part of Cadw’s summer events programme, the immersive dome showcases the country’s rich heritage using art to offer a new perspective on centuries old monuments.
The dome will be hosted at Raglan Castle in Monmouthshire between 27th July and 2nd August, before moving to Beaumaris Castle in Anglesey from 18th to 24th August.
A newly commissioned film entitled ‘From the Shadows of Stones’ will fly visitors across Wales, offering unrivalled views of spectacular abbeys, castles and ancient burial chambers.
Visitors will sit in reclined seating, viewing the film on a 360-degree curved screen with surround sound for a truly immersive experience.
Deputy Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism, Dawn Bowden, said: “Cadw summer events programme offers visitors a unique view of some of Cadw’s most majestic monuments, with the immersive dome elevating their experience by providing them with a view of the respective castles impossible to achieve from the ground.
“Cadw is passionate about preserving and protecting our Welsh heritage for future generations, and projects like these will help more people to learn about these fascinating places. We hope this will inspire visitors to become invested in Welsh heritage and get a taste for the cultural value of visiting and protecting these historic monuments which are for us all to keep.”
Throughout the summer, spherical photographic sculptures will also be installed at Cadw locations across the country including Tintern Abbey, Caernarfon Castle and Porthgain Harbour as part of Visit Wales’ ‘Year of Trails’ initiative.
High-definition 360-degree photography has been fabricated into nine location-specific photo spherical sculptures to make up the art installation trail.
The sculptures will be reinstalled at each site where the photography was taken, allowing visitors a chance to view Wales’s most impressive heritage landmarks from a unique, spherical perspective.
Matt Wright, Artistic Director of 4Pi productions, explained: “I’ve always taken great inspiration from Wales’s incredibly diverse range of landscapes and cultural heritage in my art.
“Having led the development of the photospherical medium here in Wales, I believe there is no better environment for this relatively new art form to be displayed than historical monuments that are as rich in aesthetic detail as they are history.”
