Architecture studio Red Deer has completed a virtual reality entertainment space in an east London railway arch with neon interiors that draw on the work of light artist James Turrell.
The Otherworld arcade concept is the first of its kind in the UK, and combines 14 virtual-reality immersion rooms, a bar and a poke kitchen serving raw fish dishes.

Red Deer transformed the railway arch near Haggerston station in east London into a "Tron-esque industrial landscape designed to breakdown the perception of reality" for Otherworld's owners The Dream Corporation.
The arch's brick walls have been painted white and each side of the space is flanked with seven white, cylindrical pods housing an individual VR experience room.

The studio aimed to create a "neon jungle", with colourful light effects that soft-fade through a range of shades to dramatically change the mood of the space. The dramatic lighting was influenced by light artist James Turrell, whose work explores "the altered perception of architecture through a combination of artificial and natural lighting".

"We wanted to create an immersive space suited to a wider demographic than those normally associated with the stereotypical carpeted games arcade from the 1980s," said Red Deer founding director, Lucas Che Tizard.

"By keeping the space minimal it made the lighting and soft hue fades the focal point of the project and gave it a feeling of a futuristic environment."

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