London-based artist collective Marshmallow Laser Feast has been a key figure in the virtual reality space for over a decade, with work that delves deep into the beauty of nature but leans heavily on technology. Robin McNicholas founded the agency alongside fellow artist Barnaby Steel and Ersin Han Ersin, with McNicholas’ wife Eleanor (Nell) Whitley joining as executive producer a decade ago.
“I created the name in haste,” laughs McNicholas. “But no regrets. It kind of represents an imaginary scenario, that worked when we were young and curious and ambitious about what the future held, like a North Star to paddle towards.”
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Initially, McNicholas worked in adland as a director. “We cut our teeth in the high-paced commercial scene,” he explains. “We directed three of the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase at Cannes Lions. That changed everything, because it meant we had a space and an open brief to explore our ideas, working with the creative directors who are still very close friends. And from there, we learned so much. Got bombarded with different jobs, but that kind of wore us down.”
In 2015, the collective was hired to produce a campaign for Abandon Normal Devices and Forestry Commission England’s Forest Art Works, which would eventually change the trajectory of all their careers. ‘In the Eyes of an Animal’ became a deeply immersive VR experience that showed a journey through the food chain.
It was a turning point for many reasons. Whitley joining as a producer marked a moment when Marshmallow Laser Feast wanted to take more creative control of projects from the outset.
She realized that taking aerial footage of scarred forest landscapes, on the surface, isn’t that interesting, but looking at it from a different perspective might be. The result was using Lidar scans, drones and bespoke cameras; the team fused technology with field recordings sourced from Grizedale Forest in the north of England to create an immersive world.
Met with huge acclaim, eventually, the campaign was shown at the Sundance Festival, which Whitley says gave it a “stamp” of “verification,” and a moment for them to pause and reflect on how they wanted to continue as a collective.
“And we just stopped,” explains McNicholas. “We stopped and said, ‘What are we saying, what are we doing?’ We were doing car commercials. We were at a pivot point, using technology to communicate ideas and explore this core theme of the natural world.”
The creatives explain that this has been their standpoint ever since, but stress that they are not “anti-advertising” and still work commercially. However, since that pivotal project, there’s been a more selective mindset to everything they work on. For example, the style of enveloping work appeal to museums and visitor centres, which are briefs that truly excite the collective.
“What I like is that this is fresh snow, in terms of the language of experiential, it’s still in its infancy,” adds McNicholas.
“It’s still right in its early stages, where, generally, the spotlight has shifted to experience culture because of media saturation. The things that last and stick with people are felt and have to be authentic.”
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With virtual reality, the challenge is always making projects work commercially, as the technology is so expensive. “Sometimes with the subjects that we want to explore and the kind of mass appeal, we talk about these spectrums,” explains Whitley. “How do you get something in front of mass audiences, but at the same time, create the nuance?”
The team enjoys working in cultural spaces that enable them to collaborate and stay “intellectually challenged” by different themes. Recently, they have leaned into AI out of “curiosity” and partly “necessity,” especially for last year’s ‘Sweet Dreams’ project.
The satirical and surreal multi-sensory experience introduced the fake fast-food brand Real Good Chicken and its mascot, Chicky Ricky. The experience was displayed at Aviva Studios at Factory International in Manchester, inviting audiences to explore big questions about food, consumerism and desire. On AI, McNicholas says that he realized that it could be key to projects like these.
“I’ve watched AI create something that is 80% there, but that last 20% is utterly difficult,” he continues. “It requires clear thought, craft, and all of the things that we’ve been trying to refine, and that exposure and willingness to engage has informed us that we’re kind of safe. Things are definitely going to change, but it’s a bit like when the internet emerged and it impacted print. It has got that kind of disruptive aspect.”
With so much of their work rooted in nature and real-world experiences, Whitley acknowledges that there's a “massive contradiction” in using technology to learn about the natural world.
“We’re not blind to that,” she says. “We talk a lot about it in the studio, and it's the source of a lot of debate, not because we don't all believe in the mission of what we're doing. We've 100% aligned on that; it's more about how we talk about it? How do we play with that contradiction, or acknowledge that it's there?”
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A recent project for Kew Gardens from the collective is a public art installation that uses screens to showcase the inner workings of a beautiful oak tree.
“Everyone should be in nature more than they are. We are heavily tuned into being in the natural world, but that is not a thing for a lot of the population,” explains Whitley. “They're not afforded that luxury. So, we are interested in using screen-based media, all sorts of media and experience to highlight things about the natural world that you can't see.”