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Immerse Yourself in a Dome of Mutating Architectural Forms

Factory Fifteen's 'Cocoon' is an immersive animation set inside a 60-foot-high dome.

Become enveloped in this immersive video installation of abstract, transient visuals which hint at architectural forms. Known as Cocoon, it was created by Factory Fifteen for the SAT Immersion Experience Symposium in Montreal—specifically for its 60' high, 360º by 220º custom dome (a typical planetarium dome is 180º).

“We wanted to create a type of architectural cocoon which immersed participants inside several layers of abstract and figurative layers which slowly peel away,” explains Paul Nicholls, filmmaker and co-founder of Factory Fifteen. When we last left off, the studio had teamed up with electronic artist, The Bug, to create the apocalyptic short film, "Function / Void." 

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The experimental piece was tailor-made for the dome format, playing to the sensations of being enclosed within the space and witnessing the animations mutate, unfold, and realign around you. “We let our artists create two or three layers each and then edited them together as we progressed," Nicholls tells The Creators Project, “Constantly adjusting as new ideas came along. It was quite an organic and playful project.”

One of the benefits to having a 220º dome is that the horizon line is more visible, creating a greater sense of immersion. Working in this format was also a chance for Factory Fifteen to play around with the budding cinematic medium of customized domes, something they want to work more with in the future.

“We have ambitions to create a fully realised narrative dome film,” notes Nicholls. “We think there is an amazing opportunity to try to merge the growing trends with VR and the physical dome format. I think VR is great, but there is nothing like standing inside an 18 meter dome with video content all around you, being free of any restrictions or headsets.”

Watch Cocoon in action, below:

Click here to visit Factory Fifteen's website. And check out more from Factory Fifteen below:

[Video Premiere] "Function / Void" The Bug & Factory Fifteen's Beautiful, Apocalyptic Short Film

Be Wowed By Factory Fifteen's Gorgeous Concept Art For An Upcoming Sci-Fi Film

Stunning CG Visuals And The World's Biggest Jumping Fish Featured In Factory Fifteen's Jonah

Best Of 2012: 5 Visions Of The Post-Apocalyptic Future

Adventures In The Moving Image: Our Favorite Experimental Filmmakers

Installation Combines Interactive 3D Projection Mapping, Robotics, And AR