BBC VR -Nothing To Be Written

Commissioned by 59 Studio, I worked as Lead Animator on this powerful and emotionally driven virtual reality experience created to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War.

The six-minute immersive piece was inspired by Five Telegrams, a major commission developed in partnership with the BBC Proms, the Edinburgh International Festival and 14-18 NOW. The experience translated themes of remembrance, loss and reflection into a fully immersive visual environment, combining animation, music and spatial storytelling within VR.

As Lead Animator, I was responsible for overseeing and developing the animation language of the project, helping shape the pacing, movement and emotional tone throughout the experience. The work demanded a sensitive and considered visual approach, balancing abstract imagery and cinematic motion with the emotional weight of the subject matter.

One of the central creative ideas behind the experience was the transformation of a familiar domestic Victorian interior into the evolving landscapes of war. The narrative began within the corridor of a traditional Victorian house, an intimate and recognisable setting that gradually shifted and expanded into increasingly surreal and emotionally charged environments.

As the experience unfolded, the corridor transformed seamlessly into a First World War trench, immersing the viewer within the claustrophobic atmosphere and harsh realities of the front line. From there, the environment evolved again into a wartime hospital and later a moving train carriage, each transition reflecting different stages of conflict, separation and remembrance.

These fluid environmental transformations formed the emotional backbone of the piece, using architecture and spatial storytelling to guide the audience through a symbolic journey from home to war and its aftermath. The challenge from an animation perspective was to make these transitions feel organic, cinematic and emotionally resonant within a fully immersive VR space, where the audience was not simply watching events unfold, but inhabiting them.