This summer, a brand new Illuminarium venue opened to the public in Toronto, Canada. Illuminarium at The Distillery District, a permanent immersive entertainment venue located at 28 Distillery Lane, is currently showing SPACE: A Journey to the Moon and Beyond.
Illuminarium opened its first venue in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2021, followed by a location at Las Vegas’ AREA15 in 2022. The newest destination is a partnership with Toronto-based Secret Location, known for its Emmy award-winning interactive VR and AR experiences. Illuminarium venues present immersive entertainment spectacles in custom-designed venues, surrounding visitors in a sensory space of sight, sound and scale unlike any other, and transporting them to new worlds.
To find out more about what guests can expect from Illuminarium at The Distillery District, blooloop speaks to Ryan Andal, president and founder of Secret Location and Joseph Conover, director of immersive entertainment/live events in the Americas for Christie, a global visual technology company.
Illuminarium Experiences
Illuminarium Experiences is a breakthrough, global experiential entertainment company unlike any other.
“Created by worldwide leaders in cinematic and interactive content, architectural and theatrical design and venue operations, what makes Illuminarium at the Distillery District unique is that it is a permanent entertainment venue offering wholly unique experiences,” explains Andal.
“Other immersive experiences tend to be temporary. We are here to stay with a rotating program like a gallery or museum, only we showcase original immersive experiences. Along with special evening and weekend programming, we enable audiences to see, hear, feel, smell and even personally affect the space around them. Illuminarium places the guest “inside” the narrative.”
In essence, Illuminarium exemplifies a “VR without the glasses” type of experience. What makes Illuminarium at The Distillery District unique is the partnership with Secret Location.
“Secret Location creates unforgettable experiences that take you to unexpected places,” adds Andal.
“Through the magic of cutting-edge immersive technologies, like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), our work allows people to cross the threshold from reality into fantasy to engage in an experience that feels otherworldly. With these original experiences being produced right here in Toronto, we have access to seamlessly integrated production that brings these experiences to life, and then distributes them to other Illuminarium markets.”
Creativity brings the space alive
Conover, who has worked with Illuminarium since the very early days of the concept, adds his thoughts on what makes Illuminarium unique. He explains why he thinks it has only just scratched the surface of its huge potential:
“The content delivery system and the projection technology are designed for flexibility. So, the whole AV system can accept any input. You can produce almost any content to project on the canvas – the walls and the floors. This includes not only playback video but pre-rendered video and live rendering too. So, when you step on an asteroid, that’s generative content that’s being created, right then and there. That’s a lot of computing power, and minimal to no latency in the projectors is critical.
“Now, with the Toronto installation, Illuminarium is really starting to use some of that power. Toronto is a joint venture between Secret Location and Illuminarium. That came about because of Secret Location’s expertise in developing immersive content. They are creating their content to take full advantage of this technology for a fully immersive experience.”
What makes Illuminarium at The Distillery District unique
In a world where immersive experiences are popping up everywhere, Conover says that it is the attention to story and content that sets Illuminarium apart:
“My belief is that the immersive space needs to be about storytelling moving forward. No longer can we just put static pictures or simple playback on the wall, have a glass of wine and walk around. Today’s consumer is very educated so I’m excited to see Toronto come to fruition. I think it represents the dawning of a new generation of truly interactive experiences.”
Illuminarium uses state-of-the-art technology, including RGB pure laser projection by Christie, and LIDAR sensors that blanket the space with interactivity.
“We also have a unique digital sound space with over 100 speakers and programming using the latest video game engines. This allows guests to feel like they are inside a game or film,” says Andal.
“We chose Christie projectors to bring our experiences to life. Christie manufactures top-of-the-line technology suited to our projection mapping needs. We knew that to provide our visitors with experiences that felt both out of this world and realistic we would need the highest-resolution technology available. And Christie can provide just that.”
“In Toronto, we’re using the 25,000-lumen M 4K25 RGB pure laser projectors in room one, and then the 35,000-lumen Griffyn 4K35-RGBs in room two,” says Conover. “And the use of ultra-short throw lenses allows people as close to the wall as possible, without casting a shadow.”
“What we do at Christie better than anybody is RGB pure laser projection technology. When you’re dealing with immersive spaces, the high brightness, highly saturated colours and high contrast imagery of RGB pure laser projectors result in an unparalleled degree of realism. RGB pure laser is the only projection technology capable of reproducing greater than 98% of the Rec. 2020 colour gamut, which is more than twice the colour of the current Rec. 709 standard.
“This means creatives can now master their content in this new, expansive colour palette and have their vision brought to life. You could call it ‘creative futureproofing’.”
Providing reliable projection technology for Illuminarium at The Distillery District
The reliability of the projection tech was also a key factor in deciding on the right supplier, says Andal:
“It is extremely important to choose reliable and safe projection technology to ensure that we are providing the best possible and most realistic experiences for our visitors.”
“Christie has excellent system design and integration experience and support processes. We have a team dedicated to system design, from equipment upgrades to complete rollouts and installations. When you’re dealing with a large entertainment space with 40 or 50 projectors in the ceiling, everything needs to be connected and seamlessly integrated. That was very important as we moved forward with the Toronto location,” says Conover.
Keeping the tech hidden
While it takes a lot of cutting-edge technology to make Illuminarium a truly immersive space, this very technology also has the potential to break the illusion, if not carefully planned.
“It is an immersive space and you’re trying to create an illusion,” says Conover. “So, you don’t want to see that technology. You don’t want to pull somebody out of that space with a noise or with something that interrupts the flow.
“Hiding the projection can be a challenge. Our Griffyn 4K35-RGB and M 4K25 RGB pure laser projectors run at a very low dB. So, there is no distraction in the form of sound. They’re also running at a very low heat signature. All those things add up to creating that illusion and hiding the tech behind it. I love to watch people go through the space. I want to see everyone just walk up to that wall, put their nose against the screen and wonder how these images were made.”
“The building dates back to 1861, and it’s the oldest building with the most emergent technology I’ve ever seen. The building is a historic property, so there were things that we couldn’t touch and things you wouldn’t want to touch within the beautiful foundation of this distillery building with these massive beams. Hiding projection in there was quite a challenge!
“In this case, we couldn’t build a building around the projection. We had to incorporate that thought process into a historic building. The projection design, those early drawings that we were doing out of our office in Canada, were imperative. We did a 3D LiDAR scan of the building so that we saw where all the beams and other important features were and then the other systems came in around it, things like cooling, heat evacuation, sprinkler systems and speaker systems.
“It’s a unique structure and I’m very proud of our team; I’m very happy with the results.”
SPACE: A Journey to the Moon and Beyond
Illuminarium at The Distillery District has launched with SPACE: A Journey to the Moon.
“In an out-of-this-world immersive experience, take an extraordinary journey across the galaxy,” says Andal. “Fly through a technicolour nebula, kick up dust on the moon, see Saturn’s rings up close, and weave through an asteroid belt. A giant leap into the unknown, SPACE transports you to places you’ve only ever imagined.”
Illuminarium’s high-tech animation systems and 360 cinematic immersive screens provide a mind-blowing journey through our solar system, where guests experience what it’s like to walk on the surface of the Moon.
“The exhibition includes interactive and visually stunning imagery from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It also shows first-hand the dramatic unfurling and deployment of the JWST in deep space — and explains how a telescope the size of a football field that was crammed into a rocket less than 30 feet in diameter came to life.
“In addition to SPACE, we are set to launch new creative IPs throughout the year. We’ll also be delivering 19+ experiences and creative dining series. The 19+ experience will be meticulously curated to complement Toronto’s dynamic nightlife scene. Through partnerships with local talents and producers, we’re set to deliver an exceptional and unparalleled addition to Toronto’s thriving after-dark landscape.”
Illuminarium at The Distillery District and the trend for immersive experiences
On the popularity of immersive experiences, Conover says:
“As humans, we crave communal experiences. There’s certainly a place for singular experiences like VR, as a complement to systems and rides and things like that. But what Illuminarium and Secret location is doing here is creating something that can be shared.”
The immersive space is evolving fast:
“We had those early experiences with moving pictures on the wall and some sort of soundtrack, which was great, and you saw the popularity of those. But now there’s Illuminarium. The immersive experiences industry is growing exponentially, and I don’t think it’s going to stop anytime soon. The industry is already prioritising good storytelling and creativity to entertain ever more demanding consumers.
“Illuminarium at The Distillery District is an incredibly exciting project because it’s so unique. It’s a beautiful location and a beautiful district. The Secret Location team had a vision and they got together with Illuminarium to make it a reality.”
Illuminarium has plans to expand across North America and the world, with locations currently in development in Miami, Chicago, and Macau, in addition to the Las Vegas, Toronto, and Atlanta locations.
