Mastering Mapping

We discover the tools and talent facilitating projection mapping’s mobilisation of the audio-visual arena

Words Verity Butler

The first commercially viable projector was invented in 1895 by the aptly named Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis. The ‘cinématographe’, functioning as a camera, printer as well as a projector, ran at the economical speed of 16fps.

It is hard to know if they realised at the time the true gravity of what they had just created, with the projector evolving into a dynamic tool now used across a myriad of industries: schools, offices, museums, retail – the list goes on.

One of its popular and lucrative uses recently is through projection mapping, with a market valuation of over $3.5 billion in 2023 – set to grow at a CAGR of over 23% between 2024 and 2032.

While its recent growth is impressive, its history goes back further than one might imagine. One of the first-known instances of projection onto a non-flat surface dates back to 1969, with the opening of the Haunted Mansion ride in Disneyland. The spooky set-up included optical illusions featuring a disembodied head and five singing busts performing the ride’s theme song Grim Grinning Ghosts. This was achieved through filming headshots of the singers, then projecting that footage onto the busts of their faces.

It turns out that Disney has not just led in projection mapping’s development; it also holds the earliest patent on it – named ‘Apparatus and method for projection upon a three-dimensional object’. The patent describes a system for digitally painting an image onto a contoured 3D object.

Fast-forward ten years, and another example emerged through Michael Naimark’s immersive film installation: Displacements. In this installation, a living room with two performers was filmed with a rotating camera, which was then replaced with a projector. This resulted in rotating projection mapping.

Returning to the present, although projection mapping is largely used for artistic and themed attraction pursuits, brands and marketers have also picked up on its benefits in the advertising department. It now often lends itself to mammoth brands and franchises, delivering colossal campaigns.

Coca-Cola’s promotion in Sydney harnessed mapping technology to transform a building into a giant vending machine. Passersby could interact with the projection by ‘selecting’ a Coke, which would then appear to roll down the building into an actual vending machine at its base, where they could collect their drinks.

Major sports players have also not shied away from projection mapping’s offerings. Nike has used the tech to morph stadiums into immersive sports arenas. During its product launches, it projects dynamic visuals onto the field and stands.

Car giant Audi has also flexed its muscles in the projection department when showcasing certain features of its new models. By mapping visuals onto the cars, Audi has created virtual tours that highlight every new bell and whistle in a captivating way.

But what are the tools and who are the minds behind this dazzling field of work?

Transported back in time

Let’s go back in time for our first case study – over 3000 years, in fact.

The ancient city of Ephesus is located near the western shores of modern-day Turkey, where the Aegean Sea meets the former estuary of the River Kaystros.

According to legend, the Ionian prince Androclos founded Ephesus in the 11th century BC. Much of its ancient history is unrecorded, but what is known is that it fell under the rule of the Lydian Kings in the seventh century BC. This is when it became a thriving metropolis, where men and women enjoyed equality.

After a dramatic history acting as one of the most important trading centres in the Mediterranean region, Ephesus was last controlled by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century, but by this point, it was in pretty bad shape. By the end of the century, it was abandoned, with its legacy left to archaeologists, historians and thousands of visitors flocking each year to marvel at its ruins – now classified as a Unesco World Heritage site.

The challenge when educating said visitors about an ancient city as vibrant and complex as this is finding ways to aid people in seeing past its crumbling remains – to visualise the prosperous hub it once was.

Cue the Ephesus Experience Museum, owned by the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism – and developed and operated by Dem Museums. Located in the historically rich area of Selçuk, this newly built, sustainable museum nestled within a pine forest on the ancient archaeological site was purpose-built to allow visitors to experience the historic city in ways never achieved before.

The museum offers a comprehensive exploration of Ephesus’ history – from its founding to its peak as a major urban centre. Guided by a storyteller in 17 languages, visitors journey through three distinct rooms, experiencing the city through advanced audio-visual tech. The museum’s multi-sensory features include 360° projections, 3D soundscapes and atmospheric effects such as fog and scents, which together create a vivid, engaging and educational experience for all the senses.

“At the start of the exhibition, you are introduced to the story of Ephesus and hear about its foundation,” describes Ugur Caglar, business systems country manager at Panasonic. “You get to hear about all the people who were critical to the history of Ephesus. Following that, you are guided to the second, main room which features 90 Panasonic projectors; it’s incredibly effective. There’s one main area where you are told about daily life, terraced houses, temples, key geological moments etc.”

The museum totals 123 Panasonic DLP laser projectors, ensuring the exceptional quality necessary for delivering realistic and immersive visual storytelling.

The projectors’ simplified workflows and robust design feature failover tech, which allows consistent performance and minimal maintenance. Additionally, the use of various Panasonic optics, including ultra-short-throw lenses, enables flexible installation and optimal quality without shadows, preserving the visitor experience.

“Panasonic projectors offer very high resolution and image quality, delivering amazing colours,” details Caglar.

A popular aspect of the exhibit involves 90 Panasonic DLP projectors and an advanced speaker system to recreate an ancient earthquake, adding yet another sensory layer to the visitors’ already multifaceted experience. “It gives you a whole new experience of what life was like back then,” Caglar adds.

This was a project of epic proportions – spanning 26 months and involving up to 150 experts from around the world – and was completed in August 2023. Since then, the Ephesus Experience Museum has already secured one award, being named as the best museum in its category at this year’s prestigious US Mondo-Dr Awards.

“Projection mapping largely started with projecting images onto buildings. But now, it’s evolving into a more experiential set-up, like immersive museums,” concludes Caglar.

Bringing colour to concepts

Places where AV tools like projection mapping truly get to shine are at events and festivals which are solely dedicated to the art form.

The Video Mapping Festival in Lille, France is a global gathering of talented AV artists. Spanning a three-kilometre route in the city centre, the festival transforms landmarks and buildings into a vibrant kaleidoscope of colour.

Julian Hölscher is one of those artists. Having won the grand prize for the best project in EMEA with his kinetic wall, he was also on the panel of judges for the 2024 edition of the festival – and also one of three artists who mapped onto the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de la Treille with his Curtains project.

Hölscher begins by telling us about his work prior to the festival – his award-winning kinetic wall – which involved precisely fitting video projection into interaction with a kinetic sculpture.

“Flour processing in a modern mill is not visible,” he begins, “as all processes take place in a closed pipe system. With this installation, an innovative didactic concept has been realised for the MehlWelten Museum in Wittenburg.”

The individual processing steps, from grain to refined flour, are vividly told through this work. It also gives an idea of the almost unbelievable efficiency of these modern industrial plants.

“In the interplay between the movement of the kinetic surfaces, the video projection and a sound montage, the experience of the industrial mill is elevated into abstraction and conveyed emotionally. In the narrative of grain processing, the individual elements of the installation intertwine so skilfully that the boundaries between analogue and digital become blurred,” Hölscher notes.

The project was a shining example of a museum culture that is not only open to innovative concepts, but one which actively formulates them itself.

Moving on to his next project, Curtains at the Video Mapping Festival, Hölscher highlights where he found inspiration for the powerful projection.

“I noticed the modern façade of the Notre-Dame de la Treille on a walk a few years ago. Since then, I had the desire to realise a work on this architecture.

“What makes it special is not only the aesthetics of its external form, but also the way it lets daylight into the interior of the building. I took up this peculiarity in my concept and translated it into the idea of asserting the translucent surface.”

The architecture of the cathedral becomes a membrane, behind which an unreachable world is concealed. It is not materially tangible for the religious community, but remains in a virtual sphere of the imagination. In this way, an analogy unfolds between the spiritual spaces of the digital worlds. Both places of longing are full of signs in which people search for knowledge, certainty and hope.

“The work performs like a pop song,” Hölscher continues, “opening up a space for interpretation through its allusions and gestures. This effect is enhanced by the grandiose sound design by Thomas Werner, whose sound art makes the peculiar grid of the façade vibrate. Ultimately, it breaks with convention, stretching time to end in decelerated silence. Without the sound, the audience is abandoned, thrown back on itself.”

Hölscher emphasises the importance of colour quality when it comes to getting projection mapping right. “With the support of Christie, we were working with 12-bit colour depth. I was surprised that the imagery looked as colourful as it did on the screen, which is unusual for projection mapping in an urban environment.”

When looking to the future for this dynamic space, Hölscher points to the topic of AI. “We used AI-generated images as part of the work on the cathedral, but not in an obvious way as I didn’t want to do AI mapping. Using it subtly is key. We also have real-time technology, which has had a significant impact on how quickly you can produce and alter your work for live events.

“I’m hoping for the future of projection mapping to be more meaningful,” Hölscher muses, “where it’s not all about being the fastest and loudest or trying to squeeze as many effects into five minutes as possible. I want to see people developing concepts that are meaningful and play with time in a different way to amaze people.”

Arabian lights

Al Ula is an ancient Arabian oasis city located in the Medina Province of Saudi Arabia. Situated in the Hejaz, a region that features prominently in the rich history of Islam, Al Ula was a market city on the historic incense route that linked India and the Persian Gulf to the Levant and Europe.

Its immediate vicinity boasts a unique concentration of precious artefacts, including well-preserved ancient stone inscriptions which demonstrate the development of the Arabic language, as well as a concentration of rock dwellings and tombs. In other words, the site offers a dream challenge for projection mappers seeking to bring its archaic structures to life through their art.

Creative Technology was recently brought in to resurrect the cultural tapestry of inscriptions from long-gone civilisations, allowing for a dynamic and immersive exploration of the historical narratives etched into its rocks.

The event commemorated Jabal Ikmah’s induction into the prestigious Unesco Memory of the World Register. Here, attendees were invited on an immersive journey, unravelling the enigmatic tales and wonders of Jabal Ikmah through a captivating show projected onto the mountain’s surface.

Creative Technology was proud to be part of this event, providing video, lighting and audio solutions on behalf of Imagine Experience. Its involvement encompassed a cutting-edge display of 27x50K Panasonic projectors and Disguise servers spanning 33,600 sq m of the rocky canvas, with a remarkable projection throw extending 285m.

“Collaborating with Creative Technology on the Ikmah After Dark project in Al Ula was a huge success,” comments Zoe Jackson MBE, creative director at Imagine Experience. “Their professionalism and expertise were crucial in bringing our ambitious projection mapping vision to life on the large rocks of Al Ula. Through close collaboration, we seamlessly merged technical precision with creative innovation, creating a powerful show at the Unesco World Heritage site.”

For audio, an immersive L-Acoustics Syva system – comprising six boxes and four subs – envelops the seating area. Meanwhile, 25 L-Acoustic 5XT speakers are strategically positioned along a 300m rocky pathway, all orchestrated seamlessly from a Digico desk and racks.

“The team’s unwavering dedication during the planning phases, build and execution was truly remarkable,” Jackson concludes. “I’m incredibly proud of what we achieved, and this success would not have been possible without the amazing Creative Technology team!”

The use of innovative tech opened new avenues for both cultural understanding and historical appreciation, effectively bridging the gap between the past and the present. This harmonious integration exemplifies the transformative power of technology when it comes to reviving history while embracing the possibilities of the future at the same time.

This is a profound final point to summarise what we have uncovered when it comes to projection mapping. Not only can it revolutionise brands and advertising campaigns, but it also has the power to artistically educate and engage people in multi-sensory ways previously unimaginable.

The potential is truly limitless.

This feature was first published in the Autumn 2024 issue of LIVE.