HES Event

HES 2016 event: Unusual 360° views of Geneva on the theme of border and urbanity, visible through virtual reality glasses

As part of the HES 2016 event, from Nyon to Thonon-les-Bains, from the water jet to the Junction, 25 giant mirror-blocks for the first time mark out the territory of greater Geneva, skipping the cantonal or national borders. At the foot of each, visitors can find 360° 3D images on their smartphones that take them on a virtual tour of the region. The Regards project offers unusual 360° views of Geneva on the theme of borders and urbanity, visible through virtual reality glasses like Google Cardboard. The images thus offer a poetic, surprising and sometimes disturbing vision of these places that we pass through every day. For each viewpoint, a series of photographs was assembled. These panoramic images applied to a sphere were then carefully inserted into a virtual mock-up of greater Geneva. Photomontages are produced with a mixture of 3D virtual objects and real-world shots. With an integrated compass, the sphere of vision is automatically positioned in the direction of the visitor’s gaze.

A cardboard box and two lenses are all you need to turn your smartphone into high-tech virtual reality glasses. The device is available free of charge at the Geneva HES Schools reception, the Geneva Tourism Office, the French town hall partners of the HES event, the HES-SO Geneva stand of the Book and Press Fair, as well as at all HES events. The REGARDS – EVENEMENT HES app for Android and iOS allows you to view the photomontages with or without glasses. It is available on the App Store and Google Play.