Yesterday In Unreal Engine I brought some beautiful birds over from one of UE's starter projects, LandscapeMountains. I felt the urge to play with very simple materials and effects, so I substituted the diffuse texture the birds came with for a simple white emissive effect against a solid background sky color. I also slowed down the beating of the birds' wings significantly from their default state. The effect, especially in VR, is calming and awe-inspiring.
I feel compelled by the simplicity of this virtual space and plan on continuing exploring this style.
Feel free to download the project and play with it/change it/etc. It's GearVR friendly, so give it a go in your VR system of choice!