Take a look at the ‘Space Explorers: The Infinite’ experience in Blume Studios debut

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Oct, 17, 2024, to note that the show was extended to Jan. 5.

Only about 300 people have ever been to the International Space Station. But over 500,000 people have experienced it through the virtual reality exhibition “Space Explorers: The Infinite” that’s been to a handful of cities. And Charlotte is its next stop.

Blumenthal Arts’ new, $2.5 million immersive entertainment venue Blume Studios will debut Sept. 20 by sending visitors to the International Space Station. 

“The Infinite” is a collaboration by Felix & Paul Studios and PHI Studio, both based in Montreal.

Featuring high-definition 360-degree footage and interactive elements exploring the space station, “The Infinite” was initially set to run through Nov. 10 in the former Charlotte Pipe & Foundry site at 904 Post St., near uptown. Construction is underway, the Blumenthal announced Sept. 3, as it offered new renderings of the studio. 

On Oct. 17, Blumenthal Arts announced the show was extended through the holidays to Jan. 5 due to “overwhelming demand,” and a new block of tickets was available at blumestudios.com.

“This idea of putting people in control of their experience is something that I think is unique about this space,” Blumenthal CEO Tom Gabbard said. “People are truly immersed visually.”

Cameras in space that are the size of heads

Over 200 hours of footage was shot by a dozen astronauts over two-and-a-half years on the space station, Felix Lajeunesse, exhibit co-creator and two-time Emmy Award winner, told The Charlotte Observer.

Two cameras “the size of a human head” on tripods were used inside. Another camera designed to withstand the hostile environment of space was used outside. 

Lajeunesse said the astronauts were told to think of the cameras as crew members. 

“When they are talking to you, they are talking to a friend, they are talking to one of their close colleagues,” he said.

Creating ‘The Infinite’

In 2018, the cameras were sent with astronauts to the space station. The initial vision, Lajeunesse said, was to film a virtual reality series over 30 months of missions for VR technology users in their homes.

But those plans changed after seeing the initial shots with “extraordinary” access NASA was providing, Lajeunesse said. The experience needed to reach more people all over the world.

“We were so blown away by the power of this and the feeling of being there with them (the astronauts) that is only made possible through virtual reality,” Lajeunesse said. 

Nothing compares to it, not IMAX cinema or any other media, Lajeunesse said. “It’s just you floating in space,” he said.

The astronauts integrated the cameras into their workflow.

“We captured this genuine sense of presence and access and intimacy with them that I feel is extremely precious,” Lajeunesse said.

Designing a camera to work outside in the hostile environment of space to capture a spacewalk took over a year. A robotic arm of the space station acted as a cinematic crane. 

“We would follow astronauts doing a spacewalk,” Felix said. “The complexity of pulling that off was incredible. It was an extraordinary feeling of achievement to be able to capture that and bring that back to Earth to share it with audiences in the show.”

In 2021, “The Infinite” debuted in Montreal and has been to other cities, including Seattle, Houston and Denver.

Gabbard first saw “The Infinite” in December 2022 in Richmond, California. He felt a personal connection because his father and two uncles worked for NASA. “But it’s also an opportunity to meaningfully focus on celebrating the beauty and fragility of our planet,” he said.

And with eyes around the world cast on the Boeing Starliner mission, set to return to earth Friday, Sept. 6, without its crew, Gabbard said Charlotte’s new exhibit adds “relevancy and immediacy to the experience.”

What to expect inside ‘The Infinite’

“The Infinite” creates a real-time rendering of the ISS environment, inside and out.

They wanted to create a round-trip journey from leaving Earth to the space station and back, so there’s an on-boarding process learning about the VR headset, said Eric Albert, CEO of PHI Studio and co-CEO of Infinity Experiences Inc.

Visitors become “stardust” avatars that are the same color as the people in their group. “You see the ISS there, and you just walk in. All you need to do is walk and touch,” Lajeunesse said. “Any place there’s an orb is where the camera had been placed on the real ISS.”

Each orb shows a scene with astronauts from their vantage point, “as if you were there,” he said.

Visitors can also walk outside the space station.

“You look down and you see the entire Earth just there below your feet as if you were an astronaut in space,” Lajeunesse said. “Nothing was recreated. Nothing was computer generated.”

Charlotte’s exhibit also includes two additional art installations: Gaia, a floating 3D image of earth, and music played through the headsets by local artist Jason Hausman.

As part of Blumenthal’s outreach, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools sixth graders will see the show and meet retired astronaut Joan Higginbotham of Charlotte, the third Black woman in space, in person and through video.

“The Infinite” also will be accessible for people with disabilities or mobility issues, said Eric Albert, CEO of PHI and co-CEO of Infinity Experiences Inc.

“The Infinite” has two experiences: either 40 minutes or 50 minutes. Tickets start at $29.95. 

Landing on Blume Studios space

Blume Studios opens on the heels of Blumenthal’s “Immersive Van Gogh,” a digital experience from 2021-22 that extended the show three times and sold a record-breaking 300,000 tickets. 

The first four dates of the “The Infinite” are already sold out, according to Blumenthal’s website.

People crave immersive experiences, Gabbard said.

“It puts people in the art. They want to be mobile,” Gabbard said. “This space allows us to do that kind of thing that we can’t do in a traditional theater.”

In January, Blumenthal rebranded, dropping “performing arts” from its name to better reflect its varied platforms, like Blume Studio.

Gabbard wouldn’t reveal what exhibit is planned next after “The Infinite,’ but said the Blumenthal has built in schedule flexibility for what’s on trend and locally-created content from concerts and dance. 

Another event planned at Blume Studios Sept. 26-Oct. 13 is “Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience,” a three-course meal and performance, that’s a nod to the classic British comedy show starring John Cleese as an innkeeper running “Fawlty Towers.”

There are several other free exhibits on display at the same time as “The Infinite:” 

They are: “Dew Drops” by Meredith Connoly; “Upcycled Moon” by Tuxedo Kat, a space walk sculpture; “Groundswell” by Matthias Schack-Arnott, a more than 19-foot platform above 40,000 illuminated steel spheres; and “Of Earth and Sky,” by Gaia creator Luke Jerram, a poetry sculpture trail created by Charlotte poets.

Blume Studios also will have a cafe and bar, and a store.

Every time Blume Studio visitors come, the space will be a bit different. “It’s almost a lab of sorts, where we can explore lots of new things,” Gabbard said.

More arts coverage

Want to see more stories like this? Sign up here for our free “Inside Charlotte Arts” newsletter: charlotteobserver.com/newsletters. You can join our Facebook group, “Inside Charlotte Arts,” by going here: facebook.com/groups/insidecharlottearts. And for all of our Fall Arts Guide stories in one place online, go to charlotteobserver.com/topics/charlotte-fall-arts-guide

This story was originally published September 3, 2024 at 6:30 AM.