In only four years, the Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) completed the worlds largest spherical construction: The Sphere. After a first presentation on it’s exterior LED screen on July 4th, the entertainment arena will open to the public in September when U2 returns to the live stage

 

Later this fall, award winning director Darren Aronofsky will debut “Postcard from Earth”, an immersive experience he created uniquely for The Sphere. The movie will be a “sci-fi journey deep into our future as our descendants reflect on our shared home”, Aronofsky said. In his own words, he describes the potential he sees in The Sphere as follows: “At its best, cinema is an immersive medium that transports the audience out of their regular life, whether that’s into fantasy and escapism, another place and time, or another person’s subjective experience. The Sphere is an attempt to dial up that immersion.”.

 

 

 

Intriguing about The Sphere is that it creates a multi sensory experience for the audience: wind and scents trigger touch and smell, hearing is triggered by a sound system of about 170000 speakers and sight is experienced via the world’s largest LED screen, operating with 3D techniques. Old mathematical formulas and cutting edge technology was merged to make the immersive experience of The Sphere possible.

 

18600 seats are arranged in an amphitheater like setting, making it an architectural outstanding and constructional challenging building. The initial estimated construction cost of 1.2 billion dollars was ultimately exceeded by 1.2 billion dollars, with total construction costs of 2.3 billion dollars. With entry tickets ranging from $69 to over $500, the MSG group will make profit within a few years.

 

 

Image Credits: ©The Sphere