The experience compliments the publisher's long-term project 'New Arrivals', which follows the lives of refugees as they settle in Europe
The Guardian's latest virtual reality (VR) project lets viewers experience what life is like for asylum seekers in the UK, who are waiting to hear whether they will be permitted to stay and make the country their new home.
'Limbo' places viewers in the shoes of a newly arrived asylum seeker, guiding them through urban streets to the Home Office, all while listening to a montage of interviews from asylum seekers, immigration lawyers and barristers in the UK.
"There has been a lot of media coverage on the difficulties of leaving a war-torn land and crossing the sea, but there has been less about what happens when you reach the country that you've been aiming for," said Francesca Panetta, executive editor for virtual reality, Guardian News and Media.
"We wanted to give audiences a sense of what it was like to reach a country where you really know nothing about your rights, the system, where you live, and you're feeling really isolated."
The experience compliments the publisher's long-term project 'New Arrivals', which follows the lives of refugees as they settle in Europe.
It was created by the publication’s in-house VR team alongside ScanLAB Projects, who used 3D scanning technology to give the experience a monochrome, sketch-like aesthetic.
"Initially we looked at things like regular 360-degree filming, but the asylum seekers wanted to be anonymous and we thought it would be abstract enough to use this technique to give the viewer the headspace to imagine what it was like if it was them," explained Shehani Fernando, director, Limbo.
"We love the fact that you are invisible and you can see see through things around you that are almost disembodied and fractured – it really gives you a sense of that isolation."
The story is about feeling a lack of connection to an environment, explained Panetta, so the team needed to use this technique to make a familiar environment such as cityscapes feel unfamiliar and foreign to viewers.
Limbo is the Guardian's fourth virtual reality project, following 'First Impressions', which enables viewers to explore how a baby sees the world during its first six months. It is available on Daydream View and on YouTube as a 360-degree video.
If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).
Sign up to receive job alerts of your choice by email, or manage your subscription
Featured recruiter: click to view its vacancies
The UK’s largest independent investigative journalism organisation seeks a fact checker with proven experience in fact-checking or editing journalistic content, ideally investigations. Hybrid working
Subscribe to our newsletter for latest news, tips, jobs and more
End that deadline stress today and find help in our freelance directory
Kindred Forest partners with Volker Lehmann and local families to bring Wild Beniano Cacao from the Amazon direct to the UK for first time. The Wild Chocolate bar blends rare flavours and sustainability: 20 per cent of profits go to rainforest conservation
Our next Newsrewired conference will be in May 2025, London.
Conferences and study weeks are fantastic opportunities to get the latest updates on the industry and network with your peers
Awards are a great way to have your hard work recognised by industry experts and celebrate your teams. Here is where you can apply
If you find your social feeds a tad too heavy on men's voices, follow and connect with these fantastic women experts on indie media
How do you move print readers to digital? Are there other ways to hold on to subscribers besides a last-ditch deal?
