Panoramas: the World in 360°

Two hundred years ago the first virtual reality experiences were invented in Edinburgh by an artist looking down at the city from Calton Hill. Long before digital technologies, Robert Barker (1739-1806) developed an immersive 360o environment, relying on the mastery of painted perspective, the control of space and light, and an understanding of the psychology of human perception.

Barker took his invention to London, where in a purpose-bult rotunda it created a sensation, becoming a fixture of nineteenth-century entertainment until it was superseded by technological advances including the advent of cinema.

This exhibition explores the history of Barker’s panorama and gives you a chance to taste the experience of its very first visitors. Let it take you from Edinburgh to the battlefield of Waterloo, the sights of Sydney and the polar regions in just a few minutes.

Host or Publisher The University of Edinburgh Museums