Architectural projection with Panasonic laser technology on the façade of The Deep aquarium

QED Productions used seventeen high-brightness Panasonic laser projectors to create a spectacular architectural projection mapping event at this iconic aquarium..

The public aquarium The Deep, located on the banks of the Humber River, in one of the most emblematic buildings in the British town of Hull, It has been the scene of a truly impressive visual spectacle, in this extensive and unique environment, created by projection specialist QED Productions, with high brightness laser equipment Panasonic.

Specifically, QED has used a total of seventeen high-brightness laser projectors: fourteen of the PT-RZ31K model (each one with 30.000 lumens) and three PT-RZ21K projectors (of 20.000 lumens) from this manufacturer, strategically placed to ensure that the enormous and irregular façade of the building and its surrounding area served as a 'screen' to create an exclusive and spectacular projection.

Challenge in materials and structures

For this project, The well-known British artists Anna Heinrich and Leon Palmer created 'Floe', a stunning projection piece custom designed for the show, which was projected for three nights at the end of last year on the façade of the aquarium building.

One of the biggest challenges for Floe in The Deep was the large number of different textures on the surface of the building and surrounding area.. A large reflective metal band in the center, white and dark concrete, started, rusty corrugated iron, glass, tiles,… all of this had to be adapted and synchronized for brightness and contrast.

“In many ways this was a classic projection mapping project., which used traditional trompe-l'oeil and perspective effects, but it also included 4K videos recorded in The Deep. Heinrich and Palmer managed, literally, bring the inside to the outside”, afirma Paul Wigfield, director of QED.

The surrounding land of the aquarium and the stands of the Humber estuary were also converted into projection surfaces, so for the first time The Deep merged with water, uniting the sea and the building.

Besides, This installation has also been used as a backdrop to announce the British City of Culture winner live 2021, on BBC One's 'The One Show'.

Para Wigfield, “it really was the ultimate combination of technical and creative talents. QED created the technical design that allowed Heinrich and Palmer to take full advantage of the creative potential of the building and the environment.”.

Design precision and maximum brightness

Using a mix of films, Customized fast-motion images and modeling and mapping techniques, Heinrich and Palmer explored the qualities of the material, the shape and surface of The Deep. The projections traced the geological and biological processes that inspired the building, the abundant aquatic life and environments within its walls.

According to Wigfield, “There is no way we could have done this project at such an impressive level of brightness without laser projectors.”. We worked in the boardroom and on the terrace of C4DI, a local technological society, “So we were very limited in terms of physical space and weight load and we had to do a kind of game of Tetris to place the projectors in the meeting room and get the right configuration for the show”.

In this sense, the head of QED, highlights that “this is where Panasonic stands out from the rest, in terms of size and lumens. Low power consumption and heat reduction were also incredibly important: "The lamp projectors in a meeting room of that size simply would not have held up and it would have been very risky.".

PT-RZ21K projectors were used for smaller areas, including projection around the corner of the building, which was done wirelessly. “Panasonic is at the forefront of laser phosphorus projection and reliability,” highlights Wigfield.. In that project it was not physically possible to install replacement equipment, but at no time did I worry that they might fail. With lamp-based projection technology, this would have been unthinkable. Evidently, “The laser is the future.”.

https://vimeo.com/250765864