9 Things To Know About That Immersive VR Space Expo In The Old Port Right Now

The experience is brought to life by high-tech immersive moments

Montreal's PHI Studio created Space Explorers: THE INFINITE in collaboration with Felix & Paul Studios, and their expertise in immersive exhibitions shows from the minute you arrive.

After checking in, you step into the Lift-Off Room where the journey to the ISS begins. Accompanied by the voices of astronauts Jessica Meir and Anne McLain, you're surrounded by a stunning soundscape and graphic animations that transport you to space and the adventure begins.

You get to explore the ISS with the power of VR

Once you step out of the Lift-Off Room, the welcoming staff show you how to put on your VR headset and tell you what to expect in the next space.

With the headset on, you see other people as shimmery avatars — green for staff, yellow for your group, and blue for other visitors.

Your hands show up in front of you, sparkling in the dark, and you interact with the experience by touching glowing orbs throughout the space.

A message pops up telling you to follow the path of light to a doorway, and it starts.

You can walk through the walls of the International Space Station

Once the VR experience begins, you'll find yourself floating high above Earth and sharing space with a virtual ISS.

When outside, touching a glowing sphere will bring the scene into high definition, letting you stare right down at Earth and take in every detail of the ISS. This footage was captured by a camera on the end of Canadarm2, the ISS' manoeuvrable robotic arm.

Inside, touching a glowing sphere will start a short 360-degree video that explores an aspect of life on the ISS from the perspective of the astronauts. You may find yourself sitting with them at dinner, watching them exercise, do experiments or celebrate new arrivals.

The astronauts filmed all the footage inside the ISS

To capture the footage you see during Space Explorers: THE INFINITE, the creators had to rely on the ISS crew — and using the camera was just the start.

"We needed to make sure that we would spend time talking to them and communicating with them about the creative objectives because it's a human-to-human relationship," Lajeunesse told Narcity.

As well as being camera operators and directors of photography, the astronauts were also the stars of the show, getting to share their life on board the ISS in a more intimate way than ever before.

"It was a huge involvement of time on their side, and it's because of their commitment to telling their own stories."

The cameras were built & specially adapted for space

Way before they sent cameras into space, Lajeunesse and his Felix & Paul Studios co-founder, Paul Raphaël, longed to create cinema that engaged the audience in a rich interactive environment.

"None of the tools that exist in the cinema industry are designed to do this," said Lajeunesse. "So we had to build our camera rigs and we had to build our own technical setups."

To capture footage for Space Explorers: THE INFINITE, Felix & Paul Studios designed and built cameras that would work inside the pressurized cabin of the ISS and in the extremes of space at the end of Canadarm2.

There are magical interactive moments to enjoy

To add to the immersive flair, Space Explorers: THE INFINITE offers opportunities to interact with the exhibit while you experience it.

For instance, at the end of a vignette featuring Quebec-born astronaut David Saint-Jacques getting ready to exercise, a cycling shoe will float in space before you. You can reach out and hold it or just let it continue to float in the zero-gravity environment as you continue to explore.

There are plenty more of these chances to play in the immersive virtual space created by PHI Studio and Felix & Paul Studios.

There's plenty of never-before-seen content

About halfway through the experience, visitors are invited to take a seat and watch the astronauts head out on a spacewalk. From the perspective of the camera, perched in space, you can see the astronauts at work as they complete an orbit of the Earth every 90 minutes.

While Space Explorers: THE INFINITE was in Montreal a couple of years ago, this part is completely new.

"So whoever has seen it in 2021, has not seen it," Lajeunesse said.

Felix & Paul Studios also captured NASA's first steps toward humankind's long-awaited return to the moon. Displayed on a wall of six screens, the immersive 360-degree footage of the launch of the Artemis 1 rocket brings you closer to the action than ever.

"Space Explorers: THE INFINITE" has a special connection with Montreal

As a dream that was achieved through cutting-edge innovation, originality and imagination, Space Explorers: THE INFINITE's return to Montreal feels special for Lajeunesse. After all, it's where PHI Studio and Felix & Paul Studios call home.

"There's just a lot of boldness and creativity and risk-taking that is also part of that city's culture and I just love that version of it," Lajeunesse said. "I think it's fun to be part of that narrative."

Along with a huge involvement from the Canadian Space Agency, a key member of the production was David Saint-Jacques, whom Lajeunesse credits with inspiring the ISS crew to get involved.

"He took the initiative of talking to his astronaut colleagues and saying 'I know these guys are good people,' you know, and he became a bit of an ambassador for the project," Lajeunesse said.

"Space Explorers: THE INFINITE" is ultimately about the power of human collaboration

According to Lajeunesse, Space Explorers: THE INFINITE's success is the product of the many hands that came together to make the project happen — an idea that fascinates Lajeunesse and gives him a sense of hope for the future.

"Humans can collaborate together to make ambitious things happen and are able to resolve big problems. I've seen it, I've lived it. So I'm a believer because of that."