Autor: Žiga Pavlovič

VRT P.T.I.C.H – Visions of Rapid Transformations: Perception Through Immersive Cinematic Hyperreality is a VR installation by Žiga Pavlovič that explores the chimney in Trbovlje as a space of physical tension, symbolic weight, and sensory memory. It uses digital technology as a medium for embodied reflection, allowing anyone to experience the sense of size, height, and awe of the chimney without having to climb it.

The work combines high-resolution 3D modeling of the landscape with a specially designed exoskeletal frame. The structure, made of wood, rope, and metal, slightly lifts the participant off the ground and mimics the movement of the body in space. This is not a game or a simulation; the user receives enough physical feedback to immerse themselves in what they see. Movement becomes meaningful: slow climbing, a moment on the edge, and a free fall.

In addition to sight, the work also appeals to other senses. The smell of soot, the wind, changes in air pressure, and sound all contribute to a multi- layered experience that challenges the balance between control and surrender. Artistically Pavlovič does not treat the chimney as a frozen monument, but as something that still holds energy. While the structure is inaccessible in real life, VRT P.T.I.C.H. gives it new life through interaction. It does not reconstruct the past—through movement, tension, and sensory presence, it reimagines what the chimney could mean today.

The project also draws attention to the broader debate about digital heritage. What does it mean to preserve something that people can no longer enter? And how can we tell stories about these spaces that are emotional, not just archival?

Inspired by works such as Tree (Milica Zec & Winslow Porter), this installation is based on the idea that presence—real presence—requires more than just headphones. It is about offering the viewer just enough reality to trigger something deeper: memory, fear, excitement, wonder.