Navy Pier Illuminarium – An Immersive Journey Through Space and Nature

By Jennifer Lunz and Weston Gleffe

This past June of 2024, Navy Pier opened the new virtual Illuminarium exhibit, which has taken over the formal Crystal Gardens space. Think of Illuminarium as VR (virtual reality), but without the glasses. 

Illuminarium is a multi-million dollar creation that took three years to develop. It is described as a breakthrough global experience produced by talented worldwide creators specializing in cinematic immersion, theatrical design and venue operations. Navy Pier now joins as the fifth company’s Illuminarium location following Las Vegas, Atlanta, Toronto, and Macau, China.

Illuminarium utilizes cutting-edge technology to allow people to see and hear experiences they would not normally be exposed to in person in a lifetime. This is done by having traditional motion picture techniques (like when you see a film at the movie theater), as well as VR, be combined with interactive features to imitate the real world, all without the assistance of wearable glasses and hardware. It has 360 degrees of amazing visuals and 180 degrees surround sound. 

It was very exciting to experience the Illuminarium debut. It is new and different from most things I have experienced. There were two unique and visually dazzling experiences to choose from, called SPACE: A Journey to the Moon and Beyond and Wild: A Safari Experience. 

SPACE involved a journey to the moon and beyond, with a mind-blowing journey through outer space and time. My friend and I were able to experience what it is like to walk on the surface of the moon, step inside a nebula and witness the James Webb Space Telescope open up in space. We witnessed the natural beauty of our galaxy and overall solar system.

The scenes were cleverly arranged to build moments of excitement and wonder (such as flying into a faraway nebula, space shuttle launches, bouncing lunar modules), then proceeded to periods of incredible vastness, emptiness and peace, accompanied by flowing ambient music. 

We were spoiled with panoramic views of outer space, with detailed images and animations of the nebulas, asteroids, space launches, lunar exploration and stars. It was quite the sensory treat and engaging, while also providing a creative synthesis of catchy, iconic music and visual immersion. I loved SPACE’S musical soundtrack during the experience, which included the David Bowie hit, Space Oddity.

The other, WILD, put us up close and personal with what it was like to have a front row seat with the animals and beauty of Africa. We heard authentic sounds and saw scenes of a safari experience of amazing animals in their natural habitats. It was a memorable experience, as we were also close up with various animal species that are endangered for extinction. 

While the WILD exhibit was fascinating to experience, there were some technical issues that caused a section of the room’s projection to malfunction, disrupting the visual cohesiveness of the show. Another frustrating factor involved sunlight leaks coming from the wide-open exit doors and upper perimeter of the room. This caused the projection to appear a bit washed out, and we felt it detracted a bit from the goal of VR style immersiveness. 

There were also informative captions, which provided details about the various scenes and objects, but they disappeared very quickly. It was difficult for us to finish reading what was being displayed. Along with wrinkling of the walled fabric where the projections were shown, some areas seemed somewhat unfocused, hich could be improved, including fixing the technical issues mentioned. 

I felt that the SPACE and WILD were both trying to send an important and vital message: To remind humankind that we need to take care of our planet, as well as beyond. Let’s make it a unified goal to work on protecting planet Earth and everything that lives on it. Let’s continue exploring outer space and see what else is out there besides us. When you think about it, our home planet is just a tiny speck in the huge, vast universe. 

Photos: Jennifer Lunz 

Illuminarium Experiences typically take about 45 to 60 minutes. Tickets to Illuminarium begin at $34.99 for adults and $24.99 for children, plus taxes and fees. 

For more information on Illuminarium @ Navy Pier or to plan ahead and purchase tickets today, please visit the website.