I was thrilled to visit the Fiske Planetarium in Boulder, Colorado, especially during their 50th anniversary, to see, “Arcadia Earth – A Vision for Tomorrow.” It's the biggest planetarium in the Rocky Mountain Region, with a 65-foot diameter dome and it has an 8K Sky-Skan projection system and MegaStar IIA projector. With this technology, they brought everything to life, transforming the dome into a 360° interactive canvas for “A Vision for Tomorrow.” 

The Creator 

Valentino Vettori began his career in fashion, but a presentation by Paul Hawkins inspired him to shift directions. Starting in 2019, Valentino, the founder and designer, launched Arcadia Earth as a pop-up in New York City. It now has a permanent home in Toronto. The goal was to "challenge traditional methods" of addressing climate change by leveraging technology, art, and storytelling. His mission is “to inspire sustainable change through art, technology, and community engagement.”  

His latest project, “A Vision for Tomorrow”, focuses on Trees, Air, and Water, guiding you through the current realities of the earth’s challenges and highlighting efforts being made to help preserve these valuable resources.  

The Technology 

Unreal Engine 

This 53-minute, 360-degree immersive film was entirely created using computer-generated imagery (CGI). Designed specifically for planetariums, Valentino chose Unreal Engine, a cutting-edge 3D graphics engine developed by Epic Games, to bring these stunning images to life, without any Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

Valentino explained, "Using it to build a fully immersive 360-degree experience was an ambitious challenge — because we didn’t use any real footage. Everything you see was imagined and built from the ground up." While certain tasks proved more time-consuming than anticipated, the journey allowed him and his team to "discover new methods of storytelling and world-building." This dedication and creativity resulted in a final product that is not only visually captivating but also uniquely impactful, offering audiences a powerful, one-of-a-kind experience. By 2025, he aims to expand the film nationally and internationally by partnering with planetariums, museums, and science centers worldwide. 

8K Sky-Skan 

Founded in 1967 during the space race, Sky-Skan set out to make planetariums excitedly relevant for those curious about supernovas, black holes, Mars missions, and the Blue Planet. The 8K Sky-Skan projection system brings ultra-high-resolution imagery to planetariums and immersive theaters, with around 35 million pixels offering incredibly sharp visuals that go beyond traditional film projections. This system blends images to deliver a seamless, immersive experience on dome-shaped screens. The system supports stereoscopic 3D presentations.  

Megastar Projector 

Another projector used as a backup is the Megastar IIA. Developed by Takayuki Ohira, it uses micro-perforated plates or fiber-optic bundles to reproduce over 20 million stars, including those visible and invisible to the naked eye. This optical projector delivers a realistic night sky in dome settings, using high-intensity LEDs that shine through tiny holes or fiber optics to perfectly mimic the stars. It is mounted in the middle of the room with motorized, computer-controlled axes that mimic Earth’s rotation and other celestial movements. 

In Closing 

The film was fascinating, providing a deeper understanding of where we stand with sustainability. There were moments that were heartbreaking, highlighting the challenges our Earth faces, but these were balanced by examples of large-scale changes being implemented. It reinforced the idea that preserving our resources is crucial and inspired hope by showing efforts to combat environmental decay. Additionally, it emphasized that it's everyone’s responsibility to make a difference by reducing our carbon footprint. If we work together, we can achieve significant progress in preserving the beautiful resources we rely on. 

Check Out Arcadia Earth on AVIXA TV