Otherworld, Virtual reality arcade

Hidden beneath a railway arch in Haggerston, within the Borough of Hackney in London’s East End, Otherworld gives guests the chance to try the latest VR experiences with their friends in scintillatingly sci-fi surroundings. While other venues might overlook the space beyond the headset, here you can enjoy cocktails, craft beer and island cuisine in-between trips into parallel dimensions, promising happy days for players and companions alike.

To create this uniquely immersive space, the Dream Corporation looked to project design team Red Deer, who in turn enlisted lighting specialists Voodoo Vision to bring their impressive architecture to life. Consultation and design lasted approximately six weeks, with installation spread over another four. The lighting design brief was to create an additional visual experience across the venue, making guests feel immersed in the otherworld between their sessions spent in the virtual reality pods.

Over 5000 individually-controllable LED pixels are used for lighting the main arch, with many more hidden in other key areas. The work of American minimalist artist Dan Flavin was a key influence in the style that Voodoo Vision set out to achieve.

Lighting designer Lucas Edwards told us:

“Three main visual elements underpinned the design: fluorescent tubes, neon and the colour gradients from the resulting wash. We worked with Red Deer who designed all of the interiors so the lighting could be integrated discreetly into their minimalist design. We opted to go for addressable LEDs, controlled and mapped across the venue’s floorplan so that we could create venue-wide scenes and effects. Where we wanted neon, we used the LED equivalent, so that it could be easily colour controlled. With no grouping and all hardware at max resolution, we were able to create some incredible textures and beautifully smooth gradients and fades.”