Oculus: An Eye into St Paul’s

St Paul’s Cathedral in London this week opened a 270-degree film experience, the first project of its kind in a cathedral.

Oculus: An Eye into St Paul’s uses projection technology to immerse visitors in the stories and 1,400-year history of the cathedral. It shows visitors what Saxon London and the first St Paul’s building must have been like in AD604. The story
includes the Great Fire of London in 1666, after which the existing cathedral was built by Sir Christopher Wren. Visitors will also see London during the Blitz, when for many people St Paul’s became a symbol of strength, survival and hope.

Two virtual access films open up areas of the cathedral that visitors with mobility issues might not otherwise be able to reach. The first film flies visitors through the dome, the Whispering Gallery and the Golden Gallery with its panoramic views across the city. A second film reveals Wren’s room-sized Great Model. Four-metre high projections take visitors into the interior of the model to show it in close-up
detail.