Now THAT’S a concrete jungle! Mexico City residents are given the chance to escape their crazy surroundings with a secret virtual reality ‘paradise’ hidden away in the heart of the city
– The installation was created in the center of Mexico City, which is one of the most overpopulated places in the entire world
– Set up by Corona, the VR experience could only be accessed by opening up a vending machine that turned out to be a secret entrance
– Once inside, participants were given a VR headset which transported them to all manner of incredible natural landscapes, from deep, dark jungles to beaches
– According to Corona, the average person spends a whopping 90 per cent of their life inside, and this experience hopes to change that
City living can be manic at the best of times – but when it comes to the day-to-day craziness of city life, nothing compares to the buzzing concrete jungle that is Mexico City.
The hectic Mexican capital is one of the most densely-populated places on the planet, with its more than 20 million residents surrounded by buildings, cars, people, and a constant buzz of industry every single day.
But the many undoubtedly overwhelmed citizens of the Latin American city were offered a unique opportunity to escape their stressful surroundings without ever venturing outside the city limits – thanks to a unique VR experience set up in the heart of their hometown.
Created by beer brand Corona, the secret installation was only accessible through a faux vending machine, which opened up to reveal a secret doorway into an interactive set.
There, people were handed a VR headset and quickly transported to all manner of different natural paradises, from the deepest, darkest jungles of the Amazon, to beautiful sunlit beaches.
And, thanks to the unique set design created by Corona, it wasn’t just a case of seeing to believe; wind machines and other tactile aspects of the experience meant that participants quite literally felt as though they were being immersed in their incredible surroundings.
‘The immersive VR installation simulated a journey to paradise through a jungle setting, awakening the senses and bringing the feeling of being completely immersed in nature,’ a statement released by the brand explained.
‘To heighten the realism, sand, heat, wind and even scents, allowed visitors to feel real-world elements as they traveled along a virtual path through the jungle to the beach.’
The experience was set up in an attempt to encourage city residents to make more of an effort to step outside their concrete jungles and embrace the natural world around them.
According to Corona, the average person spends a whopping 90 per cent of their life inside – a statistic which the brand hopes to try and change. ‘Corona is on a mission to encourage people around the world to reconnect with nature and the outdoors because we spend on average 90 per cent of our time inside,’ the beverage brand explained in a statement.
‘Corona believes outside is where our best side shines through, but getting outside to experience nature isn’t as easy as it should be with over half of the world’s population currently living in urban areas.’
And nowhere is that struggle more real than in Mexico City, which not only boasts one of the densest populations on Earth, it is also landlocked and surrounded by snow-capped volcanoes and mountains, meaning escape from the city is all but impossible for residents.
At least until recently.
The brand now hopes that those people lucky enough to escape to their own pretty paradise within their city realize the importance of finding the time to get out into nature on a regular basis.
‘We wanted to alleviate a tension for people,’ Thiago Zanettini, Global VP Corona said of the project.
Source: Daily Mail