Venice Original: Spherical Illustration of an Imaginary Environment for an Immersive E-Commerce Showcase

Abstract

The paper introduces a hand-drawn 360º illustration designed for commercial purposes in the framework of the project titled Venice Original. It focuses on different aspects of the creation of the artwork: the commissioning, the drawing technique, the connection to the e-commerce platform, and the several modalities of interaction. Subsequently, it gives an overview of the reception of the 360º interactive illustration on the e-commerce platform by different audiences, thanks to web statistics and user comments on the social networks. Finally, it presents the installation shown at the “Contingency” exhibition in the framework of the congress ARTECH 2021 in Aveiro, Portugal. The physical modality of the installation consisted of the original equirectangular drawing and physical paper spheres; the virtual one offered a VR tour of the illustrated space. The opinions gathered from conference attendants shed new light on the artwork, suggesting possible improvements and further developments.