Plymouth’s £7.6m tech hub and immersive video dome has officially opened to the public and people will be able to watch its first feature movie - provided they are not frightened of prehistoric creatures.
Real Ideas Organisation, the community interest company behind the stunning transformation of Devonport’s Grade II listed Victorian Market Hall, has put tickets on sale for Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure.
The 40-minute movie, suitable for all ages, will be the first shown to the public on what is Europe’s first immersive dome. Real Ideas is , and has already invited people to view the building and its technology.
Tickets for the opening weekend of the immersive dome sold out within 24 hours of being available to the public, demonstrating the demand and appetite for this cutting-edge experience.
Now tickets to the dome’s first show have now gone live via Real Ideas’ website, priced at £12 for adults, £4.50 for children, or £30 for families, with a 60% discount for neighbouring residents.
The immersive family-friendly film Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure allows dome-goers to meet marine reptiles that lived at the time of the dinosaurs, including Dolly – a curious and adventurous Dolichorhynchops (long-nosed face) plesiosaur – as she encounters giant turtles, enormous fish, fierce sharks, and the most dangerous sea creature of all: the mosasaur.
The Market Hall, originally built as a fruit and veg market in 1852, now encases the immersive dome, which has a 15m diameter, is 210 degrees over the top, with a flat floor, and is therefore the first of its type in Europe.
Needing just two projectors to cover the full surface of the dome, the tech at the Market Hall is state-of-the-art and creates a seamless shared virtual reality experience without the need for a headset. The bespoke sound system, boasting 19 channels of audio, adds to what is a truly immersive experience.
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The dome was designed by Gaianova and built/constructed by Alchemy International (formerly known as WNY). The only other like it in the world can be found at SAT in Montreal, Canada. Architecture firm Le Page, was responsible for the historic building refurb and the new extension, which contains the dome.
But the Market Hall project is more far reaching than education and entertainment, providing work and collaboration space for tech firms, from start-ups to multinational companies, and educational institutions such as the University of Plymouth and Plymouth College of Art.
For six years Real Ideas, which is also responsible for the rejuvenation of the nearby Devonport Guildhall and also runs Ocean Studios in the Grade I listed Royal William Yard, has been completely re-imagining and transforming the formerly disused building as the new, globally significant dedicated centre for the rapidly-emerging immersive sector.
A trailblazing development for the South West, and the nation, the Market Hall now demonstrates the growth of Plymouth as an international destination, and is set to further enhance the strength of the country's powerful global position in the creative sphere.
Alongside enriching cultural experiences and immersive opportunities in the dome. which people can come and experience post-pandemic boosting their mental wellbeing and creating pride of place, Real Ideas stressed the new Market Hall will offer creative and collaborative workspace, learning, workshops, expansive meeting rooms, event spaces, a production suite and a café dishing up nutritious lunch options and barista-grounded coffee.
Developed in partnership with Plymouth City Council and the Institute of Digital Art and Technology at the University of Plymouth, the Market Hall will create a new space for the community.
The project has been supported with funding from Arts Council England, the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, ERDF, and the Unlocking Growth Fund administered by Heart of the South West LEP. All of this is new investment into Plymouth from national and European sources which is anticipated to have a significant impact.
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Sir Nicholas Serota, chair of Arts Council England, joined Real Ideas’ chief executive Lindsey Hall, the Earl and Countess of Devon, and Caroline Norbury, chief executive of Creative England, to enjoy the first formal viewing within the spectacular building and immersive dome.
Mr Serota said: “At the Arts Council, we are thrilled that the eagerly anticipated innovation space, the Market Hall, and the state-of-the-art immersive dome is now open.
“Since its inception the project has excited us with its digital ambitions and impressive regeneration of a disused historic building in Devonport.
“The Market Hall will use cutting edge technology to create unique artistic experiences and opportunities for the community, placing Plymouth and the south west even more firmly on the cultural and technological map.
“We applaud Real Ideas’ partnership working, approach to inclusivity, and their bold vision. This world-class space will play host to creative enterprises, educational institutes, and local businesses. Local people will be at its heart – encouraging creativity in the region, helping to support the local economy, and contributing to a sense of pride in Plymouth.
“Arts Council are pleased to have been part of this journey, thanks to funding from the Government, and we are proud to have backed this innovative vision and digital leadership from the team at Real Ideas. We look forward to seeing the ripples spread far and wide from the Market Hall.”
Ms Hall said: “The Market Hall really is a gamechanger, putting Plymouth and the South West of England on the map internationally as a place with an epic emerging tech cluster around immersive and creative digital.
“It is without a doubt our most audacious project to date. It is immediately relevant and offers untold opportunity as a place for jobs, research, development, exploration, learning, collaboration, economic development, and secondary economic benefits too. It’s also incredibly good fun.”
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Karl Tucker, chair of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Market Hall is a truly unique space and a fantastic transformation of a previously disused heritage building.
“It cements Plymouth and the South West as a hub for creative and digital technology, and will help to create jobs, collaborative research and offer amazing experiences for the local community.
“I am delighted the Heart of the South West LEP was able to support this project with nearly £500,000 from the Unlocking Growth Fund.”
The Market Hall joins the growing Real Ideas campus of spaces including Ocean Studios and Devonport Guildhall in Plymouth and CSpace in Newquay.
Linking this building’s significant past to its cutting-edge future, there will be an unveiling of a prestigious blue plaque in commemoration of 18th Century European painter and founder of the Royal Academy of Arts, Sir Joshua Reynolds, who had his studio on this site.