Imagine a space 100 feet tall and double that in width. You and 1,000 other excited people have entered this space through a now invisible door in the wall. That wall is actually one of the many panels that make up a continuous, spherical movie screen which surrounds you on all sides – before and behind, on your right and left, above and even below you. This space is what we are calling The Cube.

Now imagine that you and your new friends are encompassed by the rise and fall of the Homeric sea-scape on voyage to Troy, the rhythm and rumble of the mythic creation songs of Tolkien’s Silmarillion, the bitter heat and fruitless toil of Pandemonium as plans are made for an invasion of earth in Milton’s Paradise Lost.

And now imagine beyond stories. The immersive environment of the Cube provides nearly endless possibilities of visual and auditory harmony that exist on their own apart from traditional, linear storytelling. Imagine the northern lights, the thrill of being caught in a violent storm, the silent and living wilderness of the galaxy, the experiences of dreams – none translate well to words, but all are apparent to the senses and communicate the wildness and beauty of life to us. We see immersion as the antithesis of escape. Through presence in a story, in a place, and among real people, we can stretch and enliven our senses and curiosity in ways that enhance normal life, rather than denigrate it through isolation.

As you might have guessed by now, our goal in developing The Cube is not simply to convert existing films onto a larger screen, but to create a unique cinematic world that facilitates stories and communal experiences which could never have been accomplished using existing formats. We want to grow something new.

This blog is devoted to thoughtfully exploring things relevant to the development of the Cube – philosophical as well as technological. You’re invited to continue reading here, or visit our main site at aristicenergies.com.