Gavin Farrell
Bridging Fine Art and Immersive Technology
Photo by Meghan Farrell
Education at RISD and Early Artistic Influences
Gavin Farrell received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 1996
During his RISD years, he developed a strong foundation in traditional art and illustration, cultivating a hyper-realistic style that would later define his mural work
This period honed his eye for detail and composition, laying the groundwork for his future blend of art and technology. Farrell’s early artistic influences included the photorealistic mural tradition – exemplified by Los Angeles muralist Kent Twitchell, with whom he would later.
At RISD, Farrell immersed himself in fine arts, exploring techniques of painting and illustration that emphasized realism and scale. He participated in student exhibitions and mural projects, experiences that fostered his passion for creating visually immersive art. These formative influences at RISD – from classical art training to an appreciation of ambitious public art – shaped Farrell’s creative vision as he began to imagine new ways to engage viewers through art.
Transition from Fine Arts to Digital Media
After graduating, Farrell’s career path evolved in tandem with emerging digital media. He initially made a name for himself as an illustrator and muralist, producing large hyper-realistic murals for public and private collections
His success in mural art (including collaborative works with Twitchell’s team) demonstrated a mastery of blending artistry with meticulous technique. By the early 2000s, Farrell began translating his artistic skills into the digital realm. He attended the Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Los Angeles (2004–2006) to gain expertise in animation and visual effects, preparing to merge art with technology.
Farrell spent the next decade as an animator and designer in the entertainment and advertising industries, where he helped push the boundaries of online media. He contributed to cutting-edge projects at Ignited and Warner Bros., and eventually joined Yahoo! as a senior creative professional. At Yahoo’s Ad Creative Technology group, Farrell was a key innovator in rich-media and interactive advertising. He pioneered new forms of web ads, from animated microsites to early mobile and panoramic ad units. Notably, he spearheaded Yahoo’s first virtual reality advertising initiatives, experimenting with 360° content in marketing campaigns.. During his decade-long tenure at Yahoo!, Farrell’s creative leadership yielded groundbreaking interactive campaigns that increased user engagement by pushing creative tech to new limits. This phase of his career solidified his reputation as a multidisciplinary “-ographer” – an artist equally fluent in illustration, animation, design, and emerging tech.
Founding of Panogs and Work in Immersive Media
In 2014, Gavin Farrell co-founded Panogs LLC, a full-service interactive agency devoted to immersive media and experiential design. With Panogs, Farrell combined his fine art sensibilities with cutting-edge technology to create virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and interactive experiences. The company began with innovative panoramic photography projects and soon expanded into the forefront of VR production. Under Farrell’s direction (as Director of Innovation), Panogs quickly became recognized as an industry leader in immersive storytelling. By leveraging advanced 360° imaging and creative vision, Panogs crafted experiential installations for high-profile clients and landmarks. Visitors to sites like the Seattle Space Needle, One Liberty Place in Philadelphia, or the Intel Museum have encountered Panogs’ interactive panoramas and VR displays – installations that allow viewers to explore environments in unprecedented detail. These projects exemplify Panogs’ role in using technology to transform how audiences experience real-world locations.
Panogs’ stature in the VR industry was cemented with its work on “Capturing Everest,” a groundbreaking VR documentary. This project – a collaboration between Sports Illustrated, Time Inc.’s LIFE VR, and others – chronicled a summit of Mount Everest in immersive 360° video. Farrell’s Panogs team co-produced “Capturing Everest”, deploying custom 360° camera rigs and drones to film the Himalayas’ extreme conditions. The result was a four-part VR experience (released in 2017) that allowed viewers to virtually climb Everest alongside the expedition. “Capturing Everest” earned widespread acclaim: in May 2018 it won a Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Digital Innovation, highlighting Panogs’ achievement in VR storytelling. This Emmy-winning project underscored Panogs’ role in the industry as a top-tier VR content studio, proving that immersive journalism and adventure storytelling could captivate mainstream audiences. Farrell, as Panogs’ innovation lead, was instrumental in this success – his creative direction and technical expertise helped push VR filmmaking to new heights, literally and figuratively.
Major Projects and Contributions in Art & Technology
Gigapixel Panoramic Photography: One of Farrell’s signature contributions is in the realm of ultra-high-resolution imagery. He was an early pioneer of gigapixel panoramic photography, which involves stitching together hundreds of photos into seamless images of extraordinary detail. In 2008, he partnered with the imaging specialists at xRez Studio on the Yosemite Extreme Panoramic Imaging Project, capturing Yosemite Valley in what was then the largest continuous gigapixel photograph of the iconic park. This project pushed technical limits to produce a zoomable image with stunning clarity, reflecting Farrell’s knack for combining artistry (capturing the grandeur of Yosemite) with technology (innovative imaging techniques). His expertise in image stitching and composition also proved invaluable for Time Magazine’s historic One World Trade Center panorama. In 2014, Time hired a small team – including Farrell – to create a 360° panoramic photo from the pinnacle of One WTC in New York City. Farrell helped stitch together massive datasets from multiple camera arrays into a single, immersive vista. The final image was published as Time’s first-ever three-page fold-out cover, marking a milestone in the magazine’s history and showcasing the power of gigapixel imagery in media. (Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg even chose this image to announce the launch of 360° photos on the platform, underscoring its impact.) Through these projects, Farrell demonstrated how technological innovation in photography can create compelling art and even make history – the One WTC panorama literally expanded the boundaries of print media while letting viewers interact with a cityscape in a new way.
Cultural Heritage Imaging: Farrell has also applied his panoramic photography skills to cultural preservation. In 2010, at the request of the Dalai Lama, he worked alongside photographer Clint Clemens and art historian Thomas Laird to capture gigapixel images of ancient Tibetan murals. This ambitious project took him to remote monasteries, where he photographed centuries-old Buddhist wall paintings in extreme detail. The effort culminated in the 2018 TASCHEN publication “Murals of Tibet,” a massive art book that presents these sacred murals with unprecedented fidelity. Farrell’s technical contributions – devising ways to photograph entire room-sized paintings and stitch them flawlessly – were crucial to preserving these artworks digitally. This work not only blends art and tech but also has an enduring impact: it creates a high-resolution archive of cultural treasures that can be studied and experienced worldwide. By marrying cutting-edge imaging with art historical projects, Farrell has shown how technology can deepen our engagement with art and heritage.
Immersive Storytelling and VR Experiences: Through Panogs and other collaborations, Gavin Farrell has helped redefine storytelling using immersive media. “Capturing Everest” is one prominent example, bringing viewers into an extreme expedition via VR. Farrell’s team developed proprietary 360° camera systems and specialized rigging to film climbers in harsh, high-altitude conditions. The immersive documentary, distributed on the LIFE VR app and SI.com, let audiences look around in any direction as the story unfolded – a first-of-its-kind narrative experience on the “roof of the world.” Its Emmy win in 2018 highlighted Farrell’s contribution to advancing narrative VR. In addition to Everest, Panogs leveraged its panoramic expertise for other storytelling projects. The studio created interactive 360° experiences at famous observation decks – for instance, it produced zoomable gigapixel city panoramas installed at the Space Needle (Seattle) and One Liberty Observation Deck (Philadelphia). These installations allow visitors to digitally magnify and explore the surrounding cityscape, blending education and entertainment. Such work revolutionizes tourist experiences by using tech to deepen understanding of a location – effectively turning panoramic photography into an interactive story about a place.
Farrell has also ventured into immersive cinema beyond headsets. In 2024, he co-produced the aerial cinematography for “The Earth Above: A Deep Time View of Australia’s Epic History,” a 30-minute fulldome planetarium film. This film flies audiences over Australia’s dramatic landscapes to explore its ancient natural history. Farrell’s role involved capturing sweeping drone footage and 360° vistas of outback terrains, which are projected onto dome screens to surround viewers. “The Earth Above” garnered multiple awards at international dome film festivals in 2024, exemplifying Farrell’s ability to translate his immersive vision to yet another medium. Whether through VR headsets or dome theaters, Farrell’s projects consistently use technology to pull audiences into the story – creating a sense of presence and awe that traditional media can’t match.
Technological Innovation (VR Drones and Rigs): A key aspect of Gavin Farrell’s impact is his hands-on innovation with new tools for image capture. He has built and deployed hundreds of specialized camera rigs for panoramic and VR content. These include robotic timelapse rovers, zipline-mounted 360° cameras, and other inventive setups to get unique shots. One of Farrell’s most notable innovations is the development of a purpose-built “VR Drone.” Noting a gap in the industry for high-quality aerial VR footage, Farrell led a joint venture between Panogs and Aerial Technology International to create a custom drone designed specifically for 360° filming. The resulting VR Drone system features a patented airframe with 3-axis gimbal stabilization and mounts for VR cameras above and below the drone. This configuration captures fully spherical video (including the normally tricky sky and ground portions) in a single flight, producing immersive footage without the stitch lines and motion instability that plagued earlier methods. By reducing post-production needs and improving image quality, Farrell’s VR Drone made live 360º aerial VR possible in scenarios that previously required heavy rigs or helicopters. This innovation has applications not only in filmmaking but also in mapping and emergency response, illustrating how Farrell’s technical creativity extends the reach of immersive technology. Through such R&D efforts, he has contributed practical advancements that benefit the broader art-tech community – enabling creators to capture experiences that were once impossible to film.
Awards and Recognition
Gavin Farrell’s interdisciplinary work has earned him significant recognition. He is an Emmy Award–winning producer, having received a 2018 Sports Emmy for Digital Innovation as part of the “Capturing Everest” production. This award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences acknowledged the pioneering nature of that VR documentary. Farrell’s earlier achievements were also singular – the Time Magazine cover featuring the One World Trade Center panorama (March 2014) was a landmark in publishing history, expanding Time’s venerable red border for the first time to accommodate the immersive image. In the realm of immersive cinema, the dome film “The Earth Above” to which Farrell contributed has won multiple Best Film honors at specialized festivals, further affirming his leadership in innovative storytelling. Throughout his career, Farrell’s projects have been written about in both art and tech circles, and he has been invited to speak or serve on boards in the VR community. He even served on the Board of Directors of the International Virtual Reality Professionals Association, the longest-running VR industry organization, reflecting peer recognition of his expertise. Each award and accolade in Farrell’s portfolio underscores a different facet of his impact – from creative advertising awards during his Yahoo! days, to industry accolades for technical ingenuity, to artistic honors for immersive experiences. This blend of recognitions across domains is a testament to how effectively he has bridged the gap between art and technology.
Legacy and Impact on Art & Technology
Gavin “Django” Farrell’s career showcases a rare synergy of artistic vision and technological innovation. Through his education in fine arts and early influences at RISD, he gained a deep appreciation for aesthetics and storytelling. By fearlessly embracing new digital tools, he expanded his canvas from walls and pages to screens and VR environments. Farrell’s work has consistently pushed the boundaries of how art can be created and experienced. In the art world, he introduced new possibilities for realism and scale – for example, capturing entire panoramas of natural wonders or cities in extreme detail, and preserving cultural artworks through imaging. In the technology sphere, he helped prove the viability of VR and interactive media as formats for serious storytelling (such as journalism and documentary), not just novelty. His contributions (like the VR Drone and innovative capture techniques) have lowered technical barriers, enabling other artists and filmmakers to venture into immersive media more easily.
Equally important is Farrell’s impact on audiences: millions have engaged with his creations, whether marveling at a zoomable gigapixel cityscape on an observation deck, exploring Everest from their living room, or flying through prehistoric Australia in a dome theater. By melding artistry with engineering, Farrell has helped transform passive viewers into active participants in visual stories. Colleagues often cite his passion for “crafting immersive digital experiences that seamlessly blend technology and artistry,” a driving force behind all his projects.
. As a result, Farrell has inspired both creatives and technologists to collaborate in new ways. His career path – from RISD-trained artist to Director of Innovation at an immersive media company – exemplifies the possibilities at the intersection of art and tech.
In summary, Gavin Farrell’s work with Panogs and other ventures has left a notable imprint on the art and technology landscape. He has shown that fine art sensibilities can elevate technological projects, and conversely that technology can unlock new dimensions in art. From murals to megapixels to virtual reality, Farrell’s journey reflects a continuous exploration of new frontiers in visual storytelling. His accomplishments, from award-winning VR films to iconic photographic feats, have not only earned him personal accolades but have also advanced the fields of immersive media and digital art. By continuing to innovate and share his expertise, Gavin “Django” Farrell remains a influential figure who is actively shaping the future of storytelling and experiential art.