Projection mapping: A map to spectacle

As you walk through familiar streets and past the buildings you know so well, you suddenly notice something strange - that tall building at some distance seems to have changed colors. On closer inspection, vivid figures are crawling across the façade. If you see something like this, chances are you're looking at a new trend in urban events: projection mapping.

Anything can be a screen

While most projectors in various types of settings use a screen to optimize the image quality, projection in itself doesn't need a screen. Projection mapping turns this challenge into a new art form. A façade's relief creates interesting opportunities for video artists to showcase their talents, but they can also offer opportunities for story telling. The façade can even be transformed in a way that the building looks like a completely different structure.

"Provided you have a solid surface to project on, you can basically do projection mapping everywhere. Because it isn't located where people expect commercial messages, they don't tune it out as easily and will be more compelled to look," says Scott Justis, Director of Marketing and Advertising for LD Systems.

Advantages

A huge advantage of projection mapping is that it doesn't require permanent modification of buildings as opposed to installing billboards or giant displays. "In addition," says Justis, "costs associated with installation and engineering will be considerably lower, and because of projection mapping's temporary nature, service costs will be minimal."

See to believe

As projection mapping is a spectacle that needs to be seen to convey its full power, it's worthwhile to hit up a few video websites and check out some examples.