The Mill Descends on Berlin with VR Takeover of Wir Sind Die Holländer

The Mill descended on Berlin last week with a two-day virtual reality takeover of Wir Sind Die Holländer, the temporary office of Sizzer Amsterdam and Halal Amsterdan (which we wrote about here)

Housed in a pared-back shop, the space features a showroom at its front which is being used each week by mostly Dutch businesses that Sizzer and Halal have close ties too. The exception to that Dutch ruling was The Mill, with the London-founded company treating attendees to some of its latest and most innovative emerging tech projects through its Mill | EXPERIENCE On the Road exhibit.

Having worked with Sizzer on the recent successful Opel ‘Racing Faces’, a German-aired spot which saw The Mill team create a series of CG characters and Sizzer the music, it seemed a natural fit to join forces in Berlin.

“Working closely with Sizzer on a whole range of projects in the past, we have developed a really great relationship with the guys,” says Justin Stiebel, a producer at The Mill. “Their brave creative values reflect ours, so it was such an easy decision for us to join them in Berlin. It has been such a unique opportunity for us to further develop lots of relationships both in Berlin and across Germany as a whole, in a really relaxed and experimental space. It’s such an exciting time to be creating work in Germany and one The Mill is passionate about being part of.”

“At Sizzer we like to do things a little differently,” adds Sizzer’s Founder and Managing Director, Sander van Maarschalkerweerd. “We wanted to give our team the chance to spend some time in Berlin and really get to know the city and the people in it. And we wanted to bring a bunch of our talented Dutch (and English!) friends over to create a truly creative environment where we can have some fun. The eight week take over Wir Sind Die Holländer has really allowed us to converge art, music, fashion, design, film and advertising projects and talent. Having the Mill team join was a real highlight as those guys are doing some really exciting stuff. We’ve worked with them a lot recently and hope to do even more in the future so wanted them part of such a brave and fun Berlin experience.”

Attendees were given the opportunity to trial the award winning VR piece ‘The Guardian ‘6x9’', as well as explore further Guardian collaborations (viewable on the Mill-created Guardian VR app) including ‘Underworld’ and ‘First Impressions’. In addition, the team also invited people to experience the groundbreaking immersive piece ‘Does Not Exist’, by beatbox phenomenon Reeps One, composed specifically for mixing in 3D sound, as the first music video of its kind. 

Guests were also given the opportunity to trial the VR experience for 24: Legacy, ‘The Raid’, the Prequel to 24: Legacy, joining Special Forces soldiers on an intense mission. The British Fashion Council ‘Fashion Awards VR Film’ was also available - a four minute immersive VR experience for the British Fashion Council, as part of their new digital platform launch, to help inspire the future generation of designers.

The takeover also included a packed Thursday night event, which overflowed onto the street featuring further demos, a fridge of German Warsteiner beers, as well as a full DJ set by an up-and-coming local artist.