My wife and I visited the Velaslavasay Panorama in Los Angeles a few weeks ago. In the early part of the 20^th century, panoramas were popular a form of entertainment around the world. The best way I can think of to describe a panorama is as a 360 degree immersive painting. You walk up a spiral staircase onto a platform, and surrounding you is a scene that, although not photo-realistic, is highly detailed and contains convincing perspectives. The Velaslavasay Panorama in particular places you on top of a wall at the edge of a Chinese city circa the early 1900s. The lights slowly change to mimic different times of day and night, and a soundscape plays in the background that is reflective of the scene in front of you. To complete the effect, a 3D-diorama melts into the foreground of the image, just enough for your brain to carry the three dimensionality into the image. By sitting down, slightly unfocusuing your eyes, and relaxing, your body falls into the scene effortlessly.

With immersive virtual reality continuing to make inroads into our culture and the “metaverse” an apparent reality, I hope people don’t forget the power of analog experiences. High definition video displays are wonderful but can’t quite capture the same feeling of whimsy and wonderment I had in the panorama.