In addition to its spectacular exterior and groundbreaking marquee concert space, the world of Sphere encompasses new modes of entertainment, including the Atrium immersive space with its resident Aura robots.
In October, The Sphere Experience debuted, a next-generation immersive entertainment medium that takes advantage of all facets of the Sphere environment. Sphere Entertainment describes the combined space as a new genre of live entertainment that “transforms the shared experience.”
The debut experience begins in the Atrium with a pre-show about how culture, technology, science, art, and the natural world have been intertwined throughout human history. The one-of-a-kind immersive experience created specifically for Sphere, was designed to give guests a better understanding of how technology amplifies our human potential. The Sphere Experience then continues in the main venue bowl for a muti-sensory cinematic experience on a massive scale – Darren Aronofsky’s Postcard from Earth. “Every aspect of Sphere was designed to transport audiences to new places, both real and imagined, and The Sphere Experience is where that vision comes together in its most integrated form,” said James L. Dolan, Executive Chairman and CEO of Sphere Entertainment. “From the moment guests enter the venue, Sphere’s next-generation technologies will create an unforgettable journey, which includes a sci-fi exploration of our planet via Darren Aronofsky’s Postcard from Earth.”
Darren Aronofsky adds “Sphere is a temple to the arts. It’s not built for sports, it’s built for performance and for this new moving image medium: this experiential cinema. I can’t wait to share Postcard from Earth with the world.”
The Atrium and Aura
The Sphere Experience journey is curated by five humanoid robots – named Aura – that serve as interactive guides to Sphere, each focusing on one fundamental aspect of human ability: connection, creativity, innovation, longevity, and productivity. Aura was developed using next-generation technology in robotic mechanics and artificial intelligence.
“Aura will guide guests through an interactive demonstration of Sphere Immersive Sound powered by HOLOPLOT which demonstrates that beamforming technology can simultaneously send unique audio content to specific locations, allowing guests to hear completely different content – such as languages or instruments. Sphere Immersive Sound is the most advanced concert-grade audio system in the world – using 3D audio beamforming technology and wave field synthesis to deliver targeted, crystal-clear and uniform audio to every seat in Sphere.
Visually, other immersive technology experiences in the Atrium take advantage of modern video display capabilities. The Rings of Time is a fully programmable LED installation, representing the span of science and technological developments throughout civilization. A 50-foot-high Hypervsn holographic installation draws on the themes of the debut film Postcard from Earth and will be used in the future by subsequent artists; there are also eight Hypervsn holographic display cases around the Atrium. Other exhibits feature machine learning artwork, LED displays, and a 360-degree avatar capture that virtually puts guests on top of Sphere.
This Atrium experience ties directly into the main cinematic feature, the first being Postcard from Earth – an immersive film by Academy Awardnominated director Darren Aronofsky. Postcard from Earth is a portrait of our planet, spanning all seven continents, and deep into the ocean, high into the mountains, into the eye of a storm, and out into space.
The imagery fills the entire interior LED display plane that wraps up, over, and around the audience to create a fully immersive visual environment. At 16K x 16K, it is the highest resolution LED screen on Earth. Through Sphere Immersive Sound, a variety of technologies, including beamforming, enable audio to be directed to specific locations at a volume that remains consistent – from point of origin to destination. Sphere’s audio system also allows sound designers to create a virtual point of origin and place it in a precise spatial location.
Postcard from Earth is also the first production to use the venue’s multi-sensory 4D technologies. These include immersive seats with an infrasound haptic system that use deep vibrations so guests can feel the rumble of thunder or a soaring rocket launch. Sphere also utilizes environmental effects to rouse the senses – the feeling of a cool breeze and familiar scents – which help audiences conjure the feeling of being there.
Credits for Postcard from Earth include: directed by Darren Aronofsky; written by Ari Handel & Darren Aronofsky; produced by Darren Aronofsky, Ari Handel, Graham Booth; Executive Producer Jane Rosenthal; Director of Photography Matthew Libatique, ASC, LPS; Production Designer James Chinlund; Edited by Jennifer Lame, ACE; Supervising Producer Ronan Browne; Field Producer Richard Evans; Sphere Director of Photography Andrew Shulkind; Costume Designer Ane Crabtree; Music Concept by Rob Simonsen; Music Produced by Rob Simonsen and Ben Wynn; Music by Brendan Angelides, Judson Crane, Nathan Johnson, Rob Simonsen, Joseph Trapanese, Ben Wynn, Jeremy Zuckerman; Music Supervisor Julianne Jordan.
