Launched in 2022, London’s Outernet is billed as one the world’s most advanced public buildings, and is the largest digital exhibition space in Europe. Comprised of different immersive spaces, Outernet’s NOW Building offers an unrivaled digital canvas, with interlocking screens connecting to create Europe’s largest LED screen, four stories high. With these floor-to-ceiling LED 16K screens and 70 reactive loudspeakers, the Now Building is Outernet’s largest attraction.
Our brief was to extend Lush’s 2023 holiday campaign ‘Intergalactic Universe’ by leveraging this unique space to deliver an immersive, multi-sensory experience during the height of the festive shopping season in the UK’s busiest city, throughout December 2023. With over 1.5 million visitors passing through the space every week, this was an incredible opportunity to create something truly special.
In creating the Lush Intergalactic Universe, the expansive scale of the Now Building was central to our design process. We approached each scene with a fixed point of view, ensuring every viewer felt positioned at the heart of the unfolding story. This perspective guided our planning, emphasizing how each visual element and animation contributed to the immersive experience from every angle within the space.
We also pushed the boundaries of LED technology, exploring how the building’s various screens could work together. Transitions between scenes spanned the entire structure, seamlessly transporting audiences without relying on exaggerated camera moves. This approach created a fluid, captivating journey that felt entirely unique to Outernet, elevating the storytelling experience in ways never seen before.
The character development of Space B.O.T was a key element in the experience. As the central character and guide through the Lush Intergalactic Universe, Space B.O.T was conceptualized from original sketches and fully realized in CG. This character development was complemented by the creation of original environments and new story elements, enhancing the narrative depth and viewer experience of the activation.
The culmination of these efforts resulted in a final experience that combined these diverse elements into a spectacular display of wonder and delight, all rendered in glorious 26k resolution. The premiere of this project was further enhanced as a scented 30-minute event, where LUSH staff released fragrances associated with the animation’s products, creating a multi-sensory experience that blended the visual and olfactory elements for the audience.
