Sequence VR at Imperial College Festival

Sequence VR was presented at Imperial College Festival in London on 7 May 2017. This version of the work extended the project’s virtual reality environment through the addition of synchronised smells, adding a further sensory layer to an already immersive exploration of bacteria, sequencing, and bio-digital experience.

The post makes clear that this was a new iteration of the work following its earlier presentation at Oxford’s Museum of the History of Science. That matters because the project was not fixed to a single technical form. Instead, it continued to develop as a way of making genomic and microbial research more physically felt, using virtual reality not as spectacle but as a means of bringing scientific processes into relation with embodiment, atmosphere, and perception.

For May, the Imperial Festival showing demonstrated how the work could move between public festival context and research-led presentation while retaining that focus. By combining immersive image with smell, Sequence VR pushed beyond screen-based representation and towards a fuller sensory encounter, reinforcing a wider practice concerned with how technology shapes what can be experienced, interpreted, and remembered.