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Games

Oculus Rift Used To Bring Catalonia Into 360-Degree Magnificence

Virtual reality requires no passports.

As one of 17 autonomous communities in Spain--with France, the Mediterranean Sea, Andorra, and the rest of the Spanish region on either side of it - Catalonia has a rich history and culture. So rich that simply writing about it is a flawed undertaking. Catalonia must be breathed in another way.

Armed with the power of imagination, and some trusty tech, Barcelona-based motion designer Xavi Elson, augmented reality design house Aparentia, and agency Identitat wanted to pitch Catalonia’s mystique in degrees instead of words. Together they created the 360 Catalunya Experience. (Sidenote: “Catalunya” is Catalan for Catalonia).

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In the installation, users wear an Oculus Rift headset that plays footage of some of the region’s more “leisure” activities such as skydiving and the construction of sky-high human towers, a popular Catalan tradition, known as castells.

Because most of us aren’t born with superhero powers of 360-degree vision, the Xelson crew achieved the effect by filming with 6 GoPro cameras that were attached to a unified base and then used cutting-edge editing software to stitch it all together.

It is far from being just a visual experience too as participants are surrounded by a four-way speaker system that adds to the visual reality element.

If you don’t have the cash supply to experience Catalonia or the 360 Catalunya Experience firsthand, we’ve got you covered.

Catalonia in 360º: "Skydive" from xelson.

Catalonia in 360º: "Castellers" from xelson.

All images and videos come courtesy of Xelson motion designer.