Free Sistine Chapel-inspired immersive experience opens in Tottenham Court Road, central London

Renaissance paintings, animation, “particle stimulations” and 3D visuals feature in a new free immersive entertainment experience in central London.

The Summer Palace, by Agustin Vidal Saavedra, opened today (January 12) at The Now Building, which organisers say is the “most advanced immersive space in existence”.

The facility features 23,000 sq ft of floor-to-ceiling, 36-degree, 8K screens across four storeys. 

It is the flagship space of Outernet, an “immersive media and culture district” next to Centre Point, at the intersection of Tottenham Court Road and Charing Cross Road. 

The Summer Palace has a ceiling inspired by the Sistine Chapel, and is a journey for visitors “through time and space”.

Artist Agustin Vidal Saavedra said: “The Summer Palace is a piece created and animated from renaissance paintings, particle simulations and AI.

“We used particle simulation to create galaxies, stars and explosions and AI to enhance the painting quality to an insane 8k resolution. 

“We brought the palace to life through a combination of fractals, paintings, real pictures of space and a thousand million hours of render.

“When it is displayed on the Outernet screens it looks wonderful and completely immerses the audience as they watch.” 

The Summer Palace will be shown daily from 10am to midnight, repeating throughout the day.