Driven by a passion for innovative technologies, Schoerner ventured into the world of 360-degree virtual reality visuals from 2015 onwards. Utilising custom lenses, advanced stitching technology, volumetric scanning, and immersive binaural audio, he and his team started to craft distinctive VR landscapes. Thus, with a keen emphasis on the spatial dynamics of his subjects, Schoerner transformed how viewers engage with content. Through the YouTube app, audiences were given the freedom to navigate various facets of the virtual space, ushering in a novel approach to immersive audio-visual experiences.
The piece below is a 360-degree virtual reality rendition of an iconic moment from 2001: A Space Odyssey allows viewers to immerse themselves in the scene, experiencing it firsthand from the astronaut’s perspective. The title of this work pays homage to Hermann Noordung’s groundbreaking 1929 book. Noordung’s visionary design of a space station, envisioned as a ‘Habitat Wheel’, profoundly influenced both Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick.
Das Problem der Befahrung des Weltraums, 2016
From the exhibition Daydreaming with Stanley Kubrick at Somerset House, London.
“I wanted to burst the frame of the traditional 2D fashion image, where the world is a mere backdrop,” says maverick image maker Norbert SCHOERNER. “We placed the model in a 360-degree sphere that she could engage with spatially. Our goal was to craft a tactile, immersive piece, one that engages viewers on a deep, intuitive level.”
Schoerner’s piece is, perhaps, the first 360-degree editorial ever made. This technology, familiar from platforms like Google Street View, finds fresh vigor in the fashion realm. “360-degree is more than a mere gimmick. We’re in the middle of a new language being born,” says Schoerner. Yet any new visual language comes with its own set of challenges. For a start, there is no “behind-the-camera”: Schoerner cleverly concealed his crew behind the stark silhouettes of leafless trees.
“There is no close-up, very little we can do – yet – with depth of field, and no pulling focus,” adds Daniel Cheetham, the film’s executive producer. “Our 360-degree cameras capture everything that’s happening in the round – which is clearly not possible for a human eye to do, or for the brain to fully process. The viewer is effectively editing his or her own viewpoint on what we have choreographed. This is the real power of 360-degree experiences. As a viewer, you feel as if you are physically at the center of the content.”
As the chimes echo across the eerily depopulated park, a new space of exploration emerges – and, as Schoerner says, a new chapter in the age-old art of storytelling. You are the audience – but you also inhabit the heart of the story’s world.
(from GARAGE magazine, Issue XX, 2015)
The three projects below consist of a selection of short films featuring VR 360 artist studio visits. This unique initiative offers a transformative way for audiences to connect with creators. Each immersive, real-time experiences transport viewers directly into the heart of these creative spaces, enveloping them in the studio environment’s unique ambiance and acoustic nuances. The personal feel of these films, coupled with the VR’s ability to capture subtle moments, provides an unparalleled and up-close perspective on the artist’s techniques, methodologies, and essence of their creative practice.