The COVID-19 pandemic has had the unexpected consequence of giving us a once-in-a-lifetime look at what our built environments look like when they’re suddenly devoid of humans.

VR filmmaker Richard Tyson was granted permission by Manchester City Council to document this unique moment. He used Insta360 Titan to capture the city in exhaustive 8K detail.

In one scene, a lone figure walks through a deserted city center, dwarfed by a museum’s facade. In another, an empty tram glides by, while a revolving billboard broadcasts public-health reminders to no one.

We’re all living through a unique historical moment, and historians of the future will see a treasure trove in the immersive records captured by filmmakers like Tyson.