Obscura, renowned for its large-scale architectural projection mapping on iconic buildings around the world, partnered with property management company Vornado and architecture firm VDTA to design and implement a permanent projection system to illuminate theMART building in Chicago with large-scale visual artistry on a nightly basis. This is the largest permanent projection system in the world.
34 Christie Digital Boxer 4K30 30,000 lumen projectors for a total of over one million lumens projected on the building facade.
PROJECTION LOCATION
The south façade of theMART building in Chicago, overlooking the Chicago River. The projector housing is located directly across the river from the building, and is built into the River Walk itself.
PROJECTION SURFACE
The building façade is 556'x165' or 91,740 ft² (over 2 acres), and the projection resolution will be 6000 x 2620.
MAPPING TECHNIQUE
We created a digital 3D model of the building from a laser scan to account for the building’s architectural features and re-created the projection setup in software so the image aligns perfectly. Building windows are masked out in software, so the projectors don’t shine light into the building interior.
PROJECTION TECHNIQUE
3 channel 3D architectural mapping. The main channels have 16 projectors each, stacked together to increase brightness, and the center channel, covering the center tower, has 2 projectors stacked; the channels are blended together to create one seamless image.
CALIBRATION TECHNIQUE
Projectors are manually calibrated to ensure the projected image fits the façade. The mapping on different architectural facets of the building are independently adjusted to minimize color / brightness differences.
PROJECTOR MOUNTING
A custom weatherproof projector room housing was designed and built to house the 34 projectors, including full service access and HVAC capabilities.
SHOW CONTROL
Custom developed system for calibration, synchronized playback and show control.
SITE SYNCHRONIZATION
The system is designed to allow curators to schedule shows within the proprietary content management system from across the river at theMART building. Hard lines were run under the river to complete the connection.
CREATIVE CHALLENGE
Our challenge was to create a projection system that would allow theMART curatorial team to display images of their choice on the building, while ensuring that the final presentation is aesthetically engaging and beautiful. We created a flexible Content Management System that allows curators to upload any image, select from a number of effects and filters, and the platform will process the image and slowly artistically render / resolve it through those filters over the course of a customizable period of time — it’s effectively a dynamic art generator.