spɛktə/ - on Digital Dust, Ectoplasm and the Infinite Architecture of the Fulldome.

Abstract

The history of the fulldome is intertwingled with architectural mechanisms for viewing and representing the heavens, weaving the mythological, the divine and theological, the astronomical and astrological into the fabric of dome or spherical shaped buildings that symbolise enlightenment and power. There is something strangely compelling about the acoustic and visual properties of a dome, from the whispering gallery effect to its ability to disappear completely when gazed into. When projected into, these qualities provide an enhanced sense of immersion, especially when the projection extends through the screen and into the void beyond. It is in this space that the collective metacognitive dissonance and consensual hallucination exist, a space maybe similar to A Matter of Life and Death’s black and white architecture of heaven, with its celestial escalator, Records Office and Courtroom.