Get The Muybridge Mausoleum for PC

The Muybridge Mausoleum is a short virtual reality experience set in an imaginary historical site honoring some of the first animal subjects of motion pictures: the “spirit animals” in Eadweard Muybridge’s studies. You explore a cinema-like space that draws on shadow play, 19th-century magic lantern shows and early film set design, and interprets selected examples from Muybridge’s work. A visit takes 10–20 minutes, or you can stay longer to enjoy the atmosphere.

The mausoleum

The environment has day and night transitions. You can activate five animal spirits as you explore.

Moving images

The experience reflects on Muybridge’s public exhibition of his photo-sequencing technology in 1879 and the way sequenced images made motion appear lifelike. His work brought attention to the connection between movement and the perception of life, supporting scientific observation while showing how an artificial impression of life could stand in for the real thing. The mausoleum connects those early experiments to the later development of film, television and video games, and to virtual reality as another way to experience a simulated world.