A pioneer of immersive creation, Shehani Fernando was for many years a producer of innovative current affairs content for the Guardian, the BBC and Al Jazeera, before moving into spatial storytelling to direct her own projects. Each time tackling societal or documentary subjects, she sees XR as a new medium to explore real world issues and subjects, and offers real discoveries such as her latest experience, BURIED IN THE ROCK (Executive produced by William Trossell and Matthew Shaw of ScanLab Projects), currently on show at festivals (Belfast XR Festival 2023, SXSW 2024).
ScanLAB Projects have been creatively experimenting with scanning technology for over a decade, producing innovative artworks, films, immersive installations, VR and more. The studio’s award-winning work has been exhibited internationally including at LACMA, La Biennale in Venice, The Louisiana, The New Museum NYC, PHI Centre Montreal, the Royal Academy and The Barbican.

Shehani, XR creator, in a few dates:
- VOCALIZE (2024)
- THE MUSEUM OF IMAGINED FUTURES (2022)
- THE WAITING ROOM VR (2019)
A collaboration at the genesis of VR creation
William Trossell – Matthew Shaw and I founded ScanLab Projects nearly 15 years ago, with the ambition of exploring this new spatial medium. We wanted to play with the way in which real environments could be scanned and reproduced digitally via pointclouds i. For us, it’s an f extension or evolution of photography . We’ve worked across lots of 2D mediumsBut sometimes remain frustrated by their 2D aspect. In the early days we dreamt in holograms and we’re excited by talk of VR headsets Then we discovered the Oculus headset (DK2), and jumped for joy! It was the answer to something we’d been waiting for.
W. T. – We experimented with lots of things at the start, including building our own 6DOF capabilities with the DK2 pulgin it together with an OptiTrack system. It’s been a long road since then, but we’ve stayed focused on VR and immersive installations. That’s how we came to collaborate with The Guardian and Shehani on LIMBO.
Shehani Fernando – By 2016, I’d already had several lives at the Guardian, from traditional content production to more innovative interactive projects . I was part of the first small team of video journalists, shooting and editing content with a very fast turnaround. It was then that the Guardian received funding from Google to set up a unit dedicated to virtual reality (headed by Francesca Panetta). In two years, we produced thirteen projects, working with creative studios such as The Mill, Tin Drum and ScanLab Projects. Mainly 360 content, for Google DayDream and the first available headsets. Notable successes were 6X9: AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT (selected at Sundance and Tribeca in particular), SEA PRAYER, SONGBIRD, LIMBO, THE PARTY. Some of them can still be seen here.
S. F. – Most of the projects dealt with important social issues, with the ambition of involving the viewer at the heart of the themes tackled. LIMBO (also made with ScanLab Projects) was about the migration crisis; what happens when you arrive in a country like the UK and are waiting for asylum? We interviewed over 20 asylum seekers anonymously and then scanned actual environments to tell the story of their e transitory (“in limbo”) existence.
BURIED IN THE ROCK, a moving short VR film
S. F. – BURIED IN THE ROCK has a very optimistic side, which is relatively rare in documentary production. Capturing a couple who rely on eachother totally when exploring new caves is also where the emotion comes from in the piece. It deals with the thrill of adventure but also the acknowledgment that our bodies are ageing, and that some of these are pristine environments are in danger of being ruined.

W. T. – Working with Tim and Pam Fogg (cavers and rope access specialists) was incredible! We had worked with them on several previous projects. Their underground explorations have taken us to Cairo and Rome to discover the subterranean, and sometimes the sewers, sometimes at night. For BURIED IN THE ROCK, we wanted to find a place that was representative of their work and capable of hosting their testimony and so we chose the Tullyard cave system in Northern Ireland, a place they know intimately. We made this during Covid and at the time we imagined an episodic series based on figures from the world of ecological activism and environmental preservation. BURIED IN THE ROCK was a proof of concept that focuses on characters in extraordinary locations. It’s a piece that you can really sit back and enjoy.

Soft interactivity: a choice anticipated by the shooting location
S. F. – Shooting this type of content quickly brings us back to the issue of space. Underground, it was quite tight but Tom from ScanLAB Projects was able to lidar scan from various points to create the 3D model of the cave. We also captured the exact sounds on location to re-create different parts of the cave and add to the binaural atmosphere.The result offers viewers the possibility of turning around the scene, choosing their point of view and to experience the cave at different scales. You use the joystick to navigate if you need to and there are sound cues to make the whole thing as intuitive as possible.
W. T. – We call it the “doll’s house” effect, allowing you to move around the whole miniature cave system. Of course, the caving context is unprecedented. Underground, you’re plunged into darkness and it’s hard to know exactly where you are. You have to be used to finding your way around. However, scanning all these environments immediately gives an idea of an underground map, which helps the viewer to project himself into the exploration with the two characters. The equipment we use has become much smaller over the years making it easier to transport it. A few years ago, you had to carry around a 25-kilo scanner. Today, you can practically film with a smartphone using LiDAR technology! It’s very exciting!

S. F. – Tom and I captured the assets on location. ScanLab then handled the visual rendering, scaling and post-production. The logistics of the shoot were quite involved as we had to capture the environments outside the cave, as well as inside it, and learn to descend and ascend on ropes. All this in 2 days, not forgetting sound, ambience and interviews! Everything except the interviews were done on site.
W. T. – Underground, sound resonates particularly well. We chose to play with this, and to really use the recordings from our recordist Axel Drioli in Unity. There’s a fair amount of reverberation when you listen to it, but this is deliberate to preserve the reality of the location.

The Future?
S. F. – There are immense possibilities for virtual reality documentaries and immersive cinema in general. The arrival of new headsets like Apple’s Vision Pro and mixed reality is really exciting… But we still need to get this work to audiences and think about the model of finance and distribution which still has some way to go. Education is also an area that has huge potential for storytelling, getting young people to engage with the arts, science and history through interactive VR narratives.
W. T. – As both the tools and content within the XR medium progress, there is tremendous scope for artists and storytellers to push boundaries. It is incredibly inspiring to already see high-caliber, human-centric XR content emerging from independent creators across the world. Their vision and innovation are signs of the medium’s bright future, where technologies like virtual reality, augmented reality, and everything in between can enable profound emotion, meaning, and connection through art. There are sure to be wondrous stories and experiences ahead !
https://scanlabprojects.co.uk/
For more information on Tim and Pam visit https://www.ropeaccessspecialists.co.uk/
For more information on caving visit https://british-caving.org.uk/
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