Outernet London – the first of an international network of sci-fi entertainment districts – displays breathtaking digital art on 16k screens. Rose Dykins reports
Outernet launched its first location in London as part of its plans to develop a series of immersive cultural and entertainment districts in cities around the world.
Having made its London debut on Denmark Street in Soho, Outernet also has sites planned in New York, LA and across Europe. The brand’s vision is to create a global network of city districts that provide innovative, original entertainment, media and retail experiences.
Outernet London’s Denmark Street location is often called the birthplace of the British music industry, where artists from David Bowie to the Sex Pistols would live, hang out and make music.
Outernet London honours this heritage by placing music at the heart of its offering. In 2022, Outernet London debuted HERE at Outernet, the largest live venue to open its doors in London since the 1940s. 
The district also has a more intimate performance venue, the Lower Third, while hedonistic hotel Chateau Denmark offers rooms and residences that add to the rockstar vibe.
The Now Building at Outernet London has an atrium that is the first of its kind in the world, comprising a four-storey-high, 360-degree immersive digital canvas with a 16k screen surface.
Covering 2,136 sqm of floor-to-ceiling space, the digital canvas will be present free immersive art exhibitions for members of the public – meaning it has become one of the largest digital arts spaces in Europe. (Outernet London also has smaller spaces, including Now Trending that feature the same cutting-edge screen technology.)
The Now Building has programme of breathtaking digital artworks for people to enjoy for free, as part of Outernet Arts, an international network of both established and emerging artists through commissions that explore the concept of the media space. 
The idea is for Outernet Arts to be a platform for artist-led projects to prompt wider conversations around our lives in a world dominated by the digital era.
Until the end of February 2023, the digital canvas is exhibiting “The Summer Palace” by Agustin Vidal Saavedra (daily, from 10am until midnight). Combining Renaissance paintings, animation, particle stimulations and 3D visuals, the Summer Palace takes visitors on a journey through time and space as they immerse themselves in a unique, uplifting experience.
The digital artwork is inspired by the Sistine Chapel, creating the ceiling of the Now Building as a focal point where the action of the piece builds. The visual display is combined with audio that adds to the feeling of “being taken on a journey into deep space” when you look up at the ceiling.
Vidal Saavedra says: “The Summer Palace is a piece created and animated from renaissance paintings, particle simulations and AI. We used particle simulation to create galaxies, stars and explosions and AI to enhance the painting quality to an insane 8k resolution.
“We brought the palace to life through a combination of fractals, paintings, real pictures of space and a thousand million hours of render. When it is displayed on the Outernet screens it looks wonderful and completely immerses the audience as they watch.”
Every Sunday until February 26 (from 12pm-6pm), “Heaven’s Gate” by artist Marco Brambilla will be exhibited at the Now Building. A panoramic video collage, Heaven’s Gate presents the “spectacle of the Hollywood dream factory”. 
The piece makes viewers feel like they are ascending through psychedelic landscapes of looping samples of iconic moments in cinematic history. It aim to both celebrate and satrise pop culture, immersing the viewer in hyper-saturated imagery.
Outernet is also available to book for events and its exterior digital billboards can be rented by brands.