Welcome & Mission

Fascinating Visual Spectacles

The word “panorama” is common in modern languages. However, this term was originally coined in the eighteenth century to describe a new, spectacular, and extraordinarily influential invention. A Panorama—or Cyclorama, as it has been called in some places and times—is a purpose-built architectural structure containing a large 360-degree painting that affords the visual and somatic illusion of standing in the middle of an actual place and/or event. Natural lighting from a cleverly concealed source enlivens the virtual experience. The panorama built upon earlier immersive interfaces such as the Eidophusikon, and in turn inspired a fascinating array of immersive and interactive interfaces including the Diorama, Cosmorama, Mareorama, Moving Panorama, etc. Numerous heritage panoramas survive to the present day, and new panoramas are being created in the twenty-first century.

IPC's Mission & Purpose

The International Panorama Council (IPC) is an international non-governmental and not-for-profit association, subject to Swiss law, that supports the conservation and interpretation of heritage panoramas dating from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It also promotes awareness of the broader panorama phenomenon, including its historic offshoots and current developments. IPC is active in the fields of panorama restoration, research, financing, exhibiting, marketing, and publishing. It promotes professional trusteeship and stimulates interdisciplinary discourse on historic and contemporary panoramas, moving panoramas, dioramas, and related ephemera, and related contemporary media including photography, film, video, and electronic VR interfaces. Throughout these efforts, IPC strives to connect the past, present and future of the panorama phenomenon worldwide.

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