The Rise of Immersive Experiences in our Digital World

I’m sure you will have noticed that in recent years we have seen a surge of immersive experiences in many areas of our lives.

Production companies such as The Lost Estate in West Kensington are one example. They transform their venue into a fully themed environment and these shows run for several months before they transform the venue again into a different concept. The entrance is also part of the theme such as an airline check in desk to transport you to Cuba. You’re issued with a boarding pass and you are taken through the departure lounge into a wonderfully decorated 1950’s nightclub. You sit having dinner around the centralised stage and the show goes on around you as dancers move between the tables. 

Or the Immersive Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition where you sit in a room with moving artwork projected on the walls so you feel like you are living inside a painting. It’s a totally different way of experiencing art and it encourages you consider how the artist was feeling, far more than a simple walled gallery.

The way I see these are signs of a cultural shift. More and more people are seeking environments that allow them to connect physically, socially and emotionally in ways our modern, digital lifestyles often do not provide.

We now live in a world that is largely digital. Many aspects of our daily lives are on screens, whether that is work, shopping, or socialising. Our workforce is predominantly office based, sitting at desks in front of computers, a sharp contrast to life two hundred years ago when most people worked on the land or in factories. Back then, daily routines involved heavy physical exertion and constant face to face interaction. I imagine we felt physically fulfilled after a day’s work. Today, in contrast, our bodies remain still for long stretches of time while our minds are flooded with digital information. The need to let off steam builds as the day progresses because our bodies are too still to release any tension.

I feel that this shift has left us craving connection, movement and physical engagement with our surroundings. Immersive experiences are stepping in to meet this need. They invite us to walk into worlds where art, performance and storytelling become three dimensional. Instead of passively observing, we participate. We move, we listen, we feel. In doing so we regain some of the physical and social stimulation that our ancestors already had in their daily work.

It is not just art and theatre that are changing in this way. Retail is also being reshaped by the desire for immersion. As shopping increasingly shifts online, brands are recognising the need to create more engaging and personalised experiences for their customers. 

For example, I recently engaged in an online quiz by Pandora which helped me choose jewellery based on my personality and character. Other retailers are experimenting with virtual reality fitting rooms and in store events and interactive displays.

In the Oasis Merchandise store in Manchester, we were able to have our photo taken against a green screen which was super imposed onto one of the Oasis album covers and was then emailed to you. A little bit of fun alongside some standard retail shopping, not missing an opportunity to data capture your email address! 

Technology has given us the tools for efficiency and convenience but I think we are discovering that it cannot replace the innate human desire for movement, presence and shared experience. 

The rise of immersive culture demonstrates an evolvement that allows us to claw back the feelings and physical experiences that we lose in our digital lives. I also predict that as AI plays a bigger role in our lives and mundane tasks are removed from workplace roles, that more people will begin to create careers that involve immersive experiences.