Habitats: An immersive exhibition by Marshmallow Laser Feast

#TOMtech 2017 opened with a large installation of a laser forest, which was sadly underwhelming. Atmospheric pictures betray what essentially feels like laser pens stuck in wobbly black bars when seen in the flesh. Said bars can be twanged to produce a particular tone, resulting in a nice soundworld, but not a remarkable one, and it was difficult to feel truly immersed in a room that also included people doing VR experiences and frequent interruptions of light and sound from wandering staff and fellow visitors.

In The Eyes Of The Animal utilised a cumbersome helmet to somewhat spoil the VR experience, whereas Treehugger’s felt tree and colourful feature was a smidge more memorable and intriguing, with some hand controls affecting the actions subtly. The event was thankfully bolstered by some superior VR experiences in the bar area, including a stunning underwater experience called The Blu by WEVR, which featured quiet, beautiful developing scenes that were a joy to interact with.

The Old Market, Until 10 September 2017

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