Digital Projection illuminates the historic Castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte during Christmas

This French palace offers a spectacular projection thanks to two pairs of equipment M-Vision Laser 21000 WU, located in different areas and with a range ratio thanks to its diversity of lenses.

Located in the French town of Maincy, a 50 Km. Southeast of Paris, Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte It is famous for its beautiful 17th century gardens and for being the largest private estate listed as a historical monument..

For the last fifteen years it has hosted an incredible Christmas show called The illuminations of Vaux-le-Vicomte, inviting guests on a festive exploration around the estate. In the previous two years, a videomapping has also been exhibited, ending the event with a striking projection on the façade of the palace.

This year, the team behind the lighting, French integrator and set decorator BS Technology, has trusted in the power of the M-Vision Laser model 21000 WU of Digital Projection for the videoping of the facade of Vaux-le-Vicomte.

“The recent and innovative technologies of Digital Projection, as remote laser light source, "They are probably what sparked our initial interest in the company," explained Eric L'Herminier., technical director and CEO of BS Technology-. “We saw this as a good opportunity to work with them on this project.”.

The projection on the baroque castle needed to cover the entire Christmas season, from the beginning of October until 3 January 2021. Mapping is done every thirty minutes, of 18:00 a 20:00 hours, meaning the team must create an automated system that works perfectly without the need for additional direction.

For this purpose, two pairs of M-Vision Laser projectors have been installed. 21000 WU, one on top of the other and two on the side, covering the domed center of the building, and the other two covering the sections on each side.

The lenses of these projectors differ in the throw ratio, since two of them were equipped, respectively, with Digital Projection lenses 2.0 – 4.0, and the other two with glasses 1.5 – 2.0.

With a power of 21.000 lumens and a contrast ratio of 10.000:1, This lampless laser phosphor projector uses Colorboost+Red Laser technology to obtain more realistic and saturated colors at previously unimaginable luminance levels.

This power and precision, combined with new intelligent color processing, “brings the overall performance closer and closer to that of a high-end DLP projector. 3 chips at a price of 1 “single chip”, indicate from the manufacturer.

For this show, fiber optic cabling is used to connect the projectors to the FOH towers with the media server. Former PI, who manages the content (created by Alexis Gabirot, of Mageo Productions) for video mapping. The sound system, which consists of four Fohhn LX601, It is also integrated into the towers that face the public.

The entire system is hidden under two oval aluminum towers, located on both sides of the castle, camouflaged in the vegetation and with a hole for the projection of images, making the system both discreet and secure for the public.

“We also need to be discreet,” L’Herminier points out.. We couldn't make them more than 3 meters high, as they can interfere with the public's vision, but they also had to be large enough for the projectors and any cooling system.”.

Another challenge was the rush of installation.: “The collaboration of the teams allowed us to meet the tight deadline, which only left us one day and two nights for mapping and installation. “Simon Gambiez helped us with this collaboration and with the technical elements”, remember L'Herminier.

Under normal conditions, This space would receive between 4.000 y 5.000 visitors every day, from schoolchildren to families. However, with current conditions, the castle has had to adapt to national COVID-19 guidelines and, after a second closure last October, was able to reopen its gardens and the videomapping show last 28 November, with plans currently underway to resume visits to the castle from 16 December.

“We have had an excellent relationship with Stéphane Bourdon, by Digital Projection Francia, throughout this project, who also had the support of the UK team. "We knew we could count on them if we needed them," says L'Herminier.. The result is a successful projection that meets expectations”.

Vogüé Ascanio, CEO and co-owner (together with his brothers Alexandre and Jean-Charles) from Vaux-le-Vicomte, points out that “audiovisual technology, when done correctly, is capable of revitalizing ancient historical sites and bringing them to life for younger generations”.

For this project, the goal was “strike a balance between making the visit an enjoyable Christmas experience and, at the same time, honor the history of the castle -he points out-. I believe that the projection on the Vaux-le-Vicomte achieves this, not only highlighting the architecture of the monument, but also respecting their culture and their past.