To mark the opening of its third restaurant location in the city of Valencia, Spain, the Voltereta group commissioned creative studio Vitamin to design and produce an immersive and interactive video mapping installation to offer diners a unique experience. Vitamin is a Valencia-based creative studio with eight years of experience in art and technology, developing innovative strategies and ideas to bring unique interactive experiences to life. Their focus on emerging technologies allows and encourages users to become active participants and protagonists, engaging with spaces and artworks in a personalized and dynamic way.
Together, they have ensured that the new restaurant, “Voltereta, bienvenido a Manhattan,” is more than just a New York-inspired space; it is a journey back to the 1920s, Prohibition, and speakeasies. A journey to those underground bars that sold illicit alcohol during the defining American era of Prohibition—unexpected, hidden venues camouflaged behind the storefronts of other businesses, operating almost like private clubs away from the watchful eyes of the authorities.
Inspired by this era, the restaurant welcomes the public with a storefront camouflaged as a book and record store, concealing what lies inside. The exterior gives no hint of its true nature or the experience customers are about to undergo, echoing the sense of secrecy experienced by Americans in the 1920s. Upon entering, guests are greeted by a host who invites them to complete a brief questionnaire, giving each diner the opportunity to interact by answering a question.
To achieve this, Vitamin created “Aerial,” an interactive book installation that uses video mapping to project questions onto an open book. Guests answer by interacting with laser-based object detection sensors, without needing to touch anything. Each response on the interactive book alters the narrative told through colors, speed, light intensity, and physical changes in the room. As a result, every group of diners shapes their own unique experience from the moment they arrive.
From there, a hidden door opens into an immersive room that functions as a large, three-dimensional time tunnel composed of 420 three-meter-long strips, each containing 20 LEDs. Once the door closes, the immersive experience begins. By controlling the 8,400 LEDs, coordinated light and sound effects are generated, creating a custom experience for each group of customers.
The installation's design began nearly a year before the restaurant's opening, aligning with WHO and national health guidelines for pandemic management. Today, both the installations developed by the Vitamin team and the restaurant's daily operations are designed to meet all health regulations, including social distancing and touch-free interactions.
The installation is located at the “Voltereta, bienvenido a Manhattan” restaurant at Calle Isabel la Católica 11 in downtown Valencia, Spain.
This article was written by Belén Maiztegui. The translation is powered by AI.
