Symphony of the Deep

by Marlène Arévalo | Apr 20, 2026

Symphony of the Deep

A multi-user immersive VR experience exploring echolocation, embodied interaction and the sensory world of sperm whales.

Project Info

Client

Cinzia Fossati & Laurence Moletta

Year

2026

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Summary

Symphony of the Deep is a multi-user immersive VR experience that invites participants to step into the sensory world of sperm whales through sound, movement and collective presence.

Conceived by Cinzia Fossati (writer-director) and Laurence Moletta (writer-composer), the project explores new forms of shared perception and embodied interaction in virtual reality. Participants navigate an underwater environment not through vision alone, but through echolocation, using their own voices to generate acoustic and visual feedback that progressively reveals their surroundings and enables interaction with others.

Artanim developed a multi-user VR prototype addressing two key challenges: collective locomotion inspired by swimming, and real-time vocal interaction through echolocation as a means of perception and communication. This approach makes sound a central element of navigation, interaction and storytelling.

At the heart of Symphony of the Deep is an environmental objective: to raise awareness of underwater noise pollution and human impact on marine ecosystems by inviting participants to experience the ocean through the sensory world of sperm whales.

The project is currently in production. To learn more and follow its progress, visit immersivelab.ch.

Credits

Director
Cinzia Fossati

Authors
Cinzia Fossati, Laurence Moletta

R&D
Artanim

Sound design and music
Laurence Moletta

Supported by
Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC)
Migros Story Lab
Cinéforom
Ville de Genève
État de Genève

Project support
Laetitia Bochud – Virtual Switzerland

Ultramagic – Balloon Simulator

by artanim | Jan 18, 2024

Ultramagic – Balloon Simulator

A realistic VR hot-air balloon simulator over the Pays-d'Enhaut landscape.

Project Info

Client

Fondation de l’Espace Ballon

Year

2023

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Summary

Ultramagic – Balloon Simulator is a VR flight simulator that lets visitors and experienced pilots take control of a hot-air balloon and fly over a detailed 3D reconstruction of the Pays-d’Enhaut landscape.

Participants step into a one-person basket, put on a VR headset and take off from Château-d’Œx. Using the burner and parachute valve, they control an accurately simulated balloon affected by realistic local winds while navigating the valley, avoiding obstacles and attempting a safe landing.

The simulator is designed both for first-time users and experienced pilots. Gamified flight modes challenge participants to navigate accurately, manage fuel consumption and improve their score. Up to three pilots can fly simultaneously and communicate with one another during the experience.

Ultramagic – Balloon Simulator has been permanently installed at Espace Ballon in Château-d’Œx since January 2024.

Learn more and book a flight.

Credits

Project direction
Frédéric Daenzer, Christophe Moinat – Fondation de l’Espace Ballon

VR platform, experience backend, user check-in, 3D content creation, gameplay and R&D
Artanim

3D landscape acquisition
Uzufly

Balloon flight simulation
Haute École d’Ingénierie et d’Architecture de Fribourg (HEIA-FR)

Ticketing and cloud API
Cashflow, Webforge

Sound environment
Alain Renaud

Haptic devices
Raphaël Anderegg

Escalade: The Darkest Night

by artanim | Nov 12, 2023

Escalade: The Darkest Night

An immersive VR experience that brings the events of Geneva’s Escalade of 1602 to life.

Project Info

Producer

Artanim

Year

2023

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Summary

December 1602 – the Duke of Savoy is about to send his troops into Geneva. As Brunaulieu becomes the first to reach the top of the city walls, the shot of an arquebus echoes through the night, sounding the alarm. A series of acts of bravery then shifts the tide of the battle – a cooking pot thrown from an open window, a fiercely defended door, or a portcullis crashing to the ground with a thunderous roar. These are just some of the events visitors witness during their journey through Geneva in 1602.

Escalade: The Darkest Night is an immersive VR experience that lets visitors relive the events of that fateful night. They navigate dark streets and treacherous rooftops and stand alongside legendary figures of the Escalade as Geneva comes under attack by the troops of the Duke of Savoy.

The experience was created in partnership with the Compagnie de 1602, whose expertise contributed to the historical reconstruction.

Escalade: The Darkest Night was presented at the Dreamscape center in Geneva from December 9, 2023, to December 28, 2025.

Learn more about the immersive technology behind the experience.

Credits

Production, project direction, script, 3D content creation, gameplay and VR platform
Artanim

Music and sound design
Alain Renaud

Scientific committee
Jean-Marc Barberis, Claude Bonard, Matthieu de la Corbière, Michelle Joguin Regelin, Daniel Villa, Museum of Art and History of Geneva

Motion capture performers
Jean-Luc Borgeat, Paolo Dos Santos, Medhi Duman, Sophie Gabus, Karim Kadjar, Olivier Lafrance, Delphine Lanza, Michaël Martin, David Obrist, Dorian Rossel

Stunt performers
Maxence Arendrup, Thibault Brunschwig, Olivier Lafrance, Thomas Laffet, Matteo Mancuso, Michaël Moser, Cyprien Raemy, Kilian Ruchti

French voice actors
Maxence Arendrup, Ségolène Bouët, Thibault Brunschwig, Célestin Casetta, Alessandro Capozzi, Fabien Coquil, Stefano Grasso, Antoine Heer, Mickaël Krebs, Jacques Perrot, Kilian Ruchti

English voice actors
Tony Behnam, Alexander Brown, Alessandro Capozzi, Medhi Duman, David French, Stefano Grasso, Peter Gould, Weston Heflin, Karim Kadjar, Sami Kali, Frances Favre, Jonathan Machen, James Miners, Gemma Parkes, Benjamin Otway, Max Otway, Mina Rauschenbach, Alain Renaud, Bill Sage, Shishir Sanghvi, Olivier Sidore

Set design and haptic devices
Raphaël Anderegg, Marc Wettstein

Scent creation
Leandre Lorson, Till Noack, Monica Sanchez Pozzo

Main partners
Compagnie de 1602

Other partners
DSM-Firmenich, Museum of Art and History of Geneva

Main supporters
Artanim, Ernst Göhner Foundation

Other supporters
CCIG, Synergix

Aboard the Mayflower

by artanim | Sep 21, 2020

Aboard the Mayflower

A VR journey from Geneva to the Mayflower in 1620.

Project Info

Client

International Museum of the Reformation

Year

2020

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Summary

In November 1620, the passengers and crew of the Mayflower reached the coast of Massachusetts, where they established a new colony. Among them were Puritan Reformers seeking to build a community in accordance with their religious and political aspirations.

Aboard the Mayflower is a VR experience that transports visitors into the final moments of this historic voyage. The journey begins at Geneva’s Reformation Wall before taking participants aboard the Mayflower, where they witness discussions between the passengers and discover Cape Cod Bay from the upper deck of the ship.

Designed as a lightweight standalone VR installation using Oculus Quest, the experience combines historical reconstruction, storytelling and immersive technology to connect Geneva’s Reformation heritage with the voyage of the Mayflower.

Aboard the Mayflower was presented at the International Museum of the Reformation in Geneva from October 28, 2020, to August 31, 2021.

Credits

Original idea and scientific committee
Gabriel de Montmollin, Hanna Woodhead – Internation Museum of the Reformation

Production, direction, script, 3D content creation, gameplay, photogrammetry and motion capture
Artanim

Actors
Vincent Coppey, José Lillo, Edmond Vuilloux

Sound design
Félicien Fleury, Alain Renaud – ActMedia

Voice-over
Sabina Foeth

Dubbing
Tony Clark, Jonathan Cotton, Jan Peter Richter, William Sage, James Smillie, Thomas Stecher

Superimposed Realities

by artanim | Sep 15, 2020

Superimposed Realities

Three VR experiences revealing different realities of the Nyon amphitheater.

Project Info

Client

TypicalOffice

Year

2020

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Summary

Built at the beginning of the 2nd century AD and discovered during excavation work in 1996, the Roman amphitheater of Nyon is the sixth amphitheater discovered in Switzerland and is remarkable for both its size and state of preservation.

Superimposed Realities is an immersive installation designed specifically for the archaeological site. Visitors move freely through the arena and discover three VR experiences that reveal different historical, architectural and imagined realities of the amphitheater.

Noviodunum — Historical Experience

Based on the historical reconstruction developed by Archeodunum and the Roman Museum of Nyon, Noviodunum transports visitors into the amphitheater during the Roman era.

Julius II Project — Architectural Experience

In 2002, an international architectural competition was launched to transform the amphitheater into an archaeological site accessible to the public. This experience allows visitors to explore the winning proposal designed by architect Bernard Pahud.

Rêverie — Artistic Experience

Rêverie immerses visitors in a colorful fictional world where flora and fauna reclaim the remains of the amphitheater and gradually transform a space traditionally occupied by humans.

Superimposed Realities was presented inside the Roman Amphitheater of Nyon on October 3 and 4, 2020.

Credits

Original idea
TypicalOffice
Yony Santos
Damien Greder

Production, direction, 3D content creation and gameplay
Artanim

Project leads
Daniel Rosselat – Fondation pour le développement du Musée romain
Monique Dubey, Veronica Tracchia, Fabienne Freymond – Service de la culture de la Ville de Nyon

Consultants
Véronique Rey-Vodoz, Izmini Farassopoulos – Musée romain de Nyon
Bernard Pahud, architect
Pierre Hauser, preventive archaeology specialists – Archeodunum