Just when you thought there was little left to be learned about Elvis Presley, an AI-enhanced immersive experience aims to humanize “the King of rock ‘n’ roll.”
Layered Reality already has a track record in the medium through “Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds” and the “Gunpowder Plot,” nearly two-hour immersive experiences in London. Next up is “Dream Flier,” an augmented reality and virtual reality-powered experience in London that is set to open later this year before moving to the U.S.
Rather than wear VR goggles, ticketholders will watch the Presley-inspired figure in front of their eyes. Despite “the enormous amount of technology that will be used,” Layered Reality aims to make it invisible so that people lose themselves in the experience, as though they are attending a real Presley concert. Groups will be capped at 40 to follow his life, and just under 200 will catch the finale performance. On a daily basis, about 2,000 people are expected to pass through.
“Fashion-wise, if you look at the fashion sense of Harry Styles, he is very influenced by Elvis,” McGuinness says. “In the back of our minds, we know this was a guy who came from nothing, and made himself the greatest star in the world. There is something in all of us that aspires to that. Is he the personification of the American dream? That’s incredibly energizing to people.