“This year it felt essential to broaden the definition of an ‘Open Studio’ to celebrate the wider spectrum of creative people making all kinds of interesting original work here in the island. We’re so fortunate to boast a diversity of talented makers in Jersey and we want to shine a spotlight on their abilities by allowing behind-the-scenes access to their creative process.”
bailiwickexpress.com, 2018
Collaborating with local artist Nicholas Romeril, FLUX facilitated the production of a virtual reality experience charting his journey across the Antarctic Peninsula, as part of his collection Breaking Ice, which was created for the Skipton Open Studios annual exhibition.
Nick spent a month aboard the Royal Navy’s HMS Protector, as the Artist in Residence of the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute. Travelling over 3,500 miles around the continent, he created a variety of paintings, drawings, sculptures and photographs.
Already directing the virtual reality elements of Flux, Virtex Studios provided Nick with specialist video equipment and an Oculus Go VR headset, alongside the technical knowledge to chart and document his journey across the Peninsula in virtual reality.
The result was a series of stunning 360° documentaries, across landscapes that most will never have the opportunity to view in person. Featuring vast stretches of icebergs viewed from on deck, close up shots of wildlife, to a behind the scenes look at how Nick creates his artwork in his onboard cabin studio, the videos are a truly immersive experience capturing one of the most beautiful and least accessible landscapes on the planet.
“There was a particular channel which was absolutely incredible … very very narrow … it must have been, at the narrowest point, probably about three hundred metres… and then cliffs, white cliffs, snow cliffs on each side. And the two days we went ... both days were perfect, bright, bright sunny days.”
In addition to the exhibition with Skipton Open Studios, and at Bonhams auction house in London, further showings are planned in both London and Switzerland in 2019.
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