The use of projection mapping—i.e., using projected video to turn buildings and other flat surfaces into dynamic art—has exploded in recent years. Using motion graphics, video, 3-D animation, and other new technology, event hosts now have increasingly innovative ways to convey brand messaging, provide unique stage backdrops, decorate walls and ceilings, and evoke emotions.
Here are 16 examples of the most over-the-top projection mapping ideas we've seen recently.
For the opening of the USC Village complex in Los Angeles in October, Bart Kresa Studio mapped two buildings on the main piazza, as well as the 150-foot-tall clock tower. The five-minute projection-mapping feature was set to a song by Leonard Bernstein that was performed by the university’s full orchestra and choir.
Photo: Gabor Ekecs
Tens of thousands of spectators came out to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay park in June. To create an exciting, multimedia show for the celebration, Christie Digital and Asia-based Hexogon Solution created vivid digital projections of flowers and bubbles, which were displayed across the gardens’ eight “supertrees”—tree-like vertical gardens measuring as tall as 165 feet. The 20-minute projection display used 120 light fixtures and 24 flame projectors.
Photo: Rachel Pick
At AdobeMax 2016 in San Diego, WorldStage teamed up with event producer Pix Productions to create a massive projection-mapped display for the main stage. Using a 4K environment, the team created a geometric configuration of multi-faceted screens that measured 200 feet wide and 32 feet tall. The screens were filled with moving patterns, lights, live-action video, and animations, and also supported keynote addresses and presentations. Overall, 28 projectors were used. Click here to watch a video
Photo: Courtesy WorldStage
The design transformed throughout the feature. WorldStage and Panasonic created the projection system, and Images by Lighting handled lighting design.
Photo: Gabor Ekecs
For the Burrard Arts Foundation’s 2017 Facade Festival in Vancouver, 10 artists were chosen to have their artwork projected on the outside of the museum. Go2 Productions produced the projection mapping. Click here to watch a video
Photo: Courtesy of Go2 Productions
The Temple House in Miami works with United Projection to offer 3-D projection mapping services for corporate and social events. For one wedding ceremony, the room was transformed into a pink cherry blossom forest. As the bride walked down the aisle, motion graphics caused rose petals to “fall” slowly from the trees, creating a romantic effect.
Photo: Jonathan Scott
Bart Kresa Studio created four animated looks for the Game of Thrones season 7 premiere party in July. The evening began with a dragon gliding across the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The image then transformed into flames, eventually subsiding to reveal a frozen tundra with the face of the show’s Night King villain. Later in the evening, the projection transformed into the faces of the show’s stars, and then eventually into a mystical forest projection inspired by the show. The images rotated throughout the night. Click here to watch a video
Photo: Gabor Ekecs
A collaboration between painter Pete Barber and digital artist Rebecca Smith, a Budapest-based project by U.K.-based Urban Projections combines projection mapping with hand-crafted images. Dubbed the “Living Mural,” the live show sees both elements evolving and interacting, creating a canvas of movement, light, and paint. Click here to watch a video
Photo: Courtesy of Urban Projections
Vancouver-based Go2 Productions used projection mapping to create a 360-degree, immersive audiovisual experience at Metropolis at Metrotown, British Columbia’s largest mall, in 2016. Projected content, colorful 3-D illusions, and a mirrored floor and ceiling created a striking, infinity room-like experience for attendees. Click here to watch a video
Photo: Courtesy of Go2 Productions
As part of last year’s Canada 150 celebrations, and to celebrate British Columbia’s annual salmon migration, Christie Digital used projection mapping to transform Vancouver’s Cambie Street Bridge into a virtual ocean. Eight projectors were used to create a colorful, cinematic show, which ran on a daily basis from June to early fall.
Photo: Kirk Tougas
At a wedding for Qatar’s royal family in November 2016, Megavision Arts transformed a 53,000-square-tent into a memorable, moving work of art. Crews built a 30- by 360-foot plywood wall in front of the tent and covered it in white muslin fabric to serve as the projection surface. The result was that as the guests drove up to the event, they saw a massive, undulating 3-D black-and-white animation accented with a custom musical score. Click here to watch a video
Photo: Courtesy of Megavision Arts
An increasing number of sports arenas are using on-court projection mapping to display player stats, accompany halftime entertainment, and increase fan engagement. For New York Rangers and New York Knicks games at Madison Square Garden, WorldStage uses 14 projectors, with each portion of the ice or court receiving 60,000 lumens. Lighting design by Arc3 Design and custom content by Batwin & Robin Productions complement the projections, creating a fully immersive environment inside the arena. Click here to watch a video
Photo: Courtesy of WorldStage
For the Canada Olympic Excellence Day celebration in Montreal in 2015, Go2 Productions created an 18-minute projection-mapping experience leading up to the unveiling of the Olympic rings on the roof of the Canada Olympic Committee’s 23-story headquarters. Click here to watch a video
Photo: Courtesy of Go2 Productions
Urban Projections worked with British artist Mat Collishaw and media artist Dave Lynch to create a mapped installation for the launch of the Jimmy Choo Vices collection in London. Based on the Naica mines in Mexico, custom video footage was mapped around crystal clusters. Lighting, pulsating glows, and shadow effects were overlaid onto footage of tower blocks, rain, and traffic.
Photo: Courtesy of Urban Projections
For a corporate event at the Temple House, the projection changed for each course of the meal, cycling through cities in Asia, Europe, South America, and the United States where the company had offices. For the Istanbul, Turkey-theme course, projections showed the Basilica Cistern. Cuisine from the region was served, and servers dressed in on-theme costumes. Music was also paired with the various projections and courses.
Photo: Jonathan Scott
For YouTube Brandcast 2017, held in New York in May, event producer Good Sense & Company tapped Worldstage to create to create a dynamic presentation backdrop using a mix of automated projection-mapped walls and LED technologies. Obscura Digital, LA Made Creative, ShowMotion, and the event team at MAS also collaborated on the presentation. Click here to watch a video
Photo: Courtesy of WorldStage
