GLOW shines brighter than ever with RGB pure laser

Photos courtesy of Sahara Benelux

Eindhoven’s latest annual GLOW festival set about delivering an inspiring experience for revelers to enjoy, encouraging them out into the cool winter weather to enjoy 35 visual light exhibits created by talented international artists. In an especially challenging year for many citizens, the week-long event aimed to put smiles on faces and provide some much-needed respite for visitors. For the latest iteration of GLOW – titled ‘Moved by Light’ – two highlight events included ‘Domas Luma’ and ‘Diorama’ exhibits, both featuring Christie^® projection and content management solutions.

RGB pure laser projection bringing artistic vision to life with Domas Luma

At the 19th century Augustijnenkerk (church), renowned international artist Yann Nguema and Arnaud Doucet created ‘Domas Luma’ combining projection mapping, light, laser and audio elements. The team was given the challenge of mapping onto the unique hand-built façade of the former church, comprising of 50,000 stones. Yann Nguema made use of his own custom software, and carefully mapped out each individual stone to allow the content to create a striking 3D effect.

Historic buildings come alive with 3D projection mapping at 2021 GLOW festival

A total of eight Christie Griffyn 4K32-RGB pure laser projectors were used for the first time in the Netherlands, mounted in containers. Dutch integrator Bazelmans AV installed all cabling, as well carrying out the audio and light installation. The content made full use of the building’s intricate architectural details, with each stone, window, door and edge used to accentuate the impact of the projection and give the impression of a fluid metamorphosis of the church’s structure. “I was very surprised by the quality and power of the color with these projectors,” said Yann Nguema, artist. “It is the first time I have used projectors like this, and it was a very good surprise for me.”

The media content was powered by two Christie Pandoras Box media servers, and Christie’s own team were on hand to ensure the image was mapped correctly, alongside Christie’s distributor, Sahara Benelux. The project was hit by delays when the containers to store the projectors did not arrive until days after they were meant to, but the team pulled out all the stops to ensure it was delivered on time.

With the Griffyn marking its European debut, all eyes were on the technology to see how the RGB pure laser technology performed. “People see a much more vibrant image over a standard lamp or laser phosphor projector,” says Robin van der Heiden, sales manager, Sahara Benelux. “Often when comparing projectors, we do so on a white background, and you immediately see the difference between rec 709 and rec 2020 color spaces like you get with Griffyn. I wasn’t sure whether the difference would be so visible when mapping onto a red stone building, but I need not have worried, and we were all very impressed. In fact, the artist told me that he could see colors on the church that he hadn’t even seen on his computer when creating the content, which is a huge compliment.”

“We also felt that you see much more light with RGB laser, so it almost felt like it was 400,000 ANSI lumens mapping onto the church, instead of about 250,000. During the show, we reduced the strength of some of the projectors slightly to create a warmer image. On top of the video there was the laser beams, so it needed to be balanced. When combined with the laser beams and the audio, it was a very powerful effect, but I think we got it just right.”

Delving into Diorama

Meanwhile at the Strijp-T area, building TQ 1, ‘Diorama’ presented an array of perspectives, with light artist Dirk Van Poppel mapping four different displays on different sides of the building. The engaging content formed one coherent ‘scene’ giving visitors the impression of looking into the building, as an impressive blend of graphical effects are revealed whilst an atmospheric soundtrack played.

A total of eight 30,000 ANSI lumens Christie 3DLP^® projectors were used, with two projectors mapping onto each side of the building, all managed by a Christie Pandoras Box media server. With one side of the building being a tighter ‘corridor-like’ space, ultra short throw lenses were used to achieve the desired outcome. The projectors were again stored in containers, housed in rigging frames.

Members of the Christie Pandoras Box team were again on site to make precise adjustments to ensure content was correctly aligned onto the surfaces of the building. Both ‘Diorama’ and ‘Domas Luma’ installations were completed on schedule within a few days.

“This is the first year I have used Christie projectors,” says Dirk van Poppel, the artist responsible for ‘Diorama’. “I love them because they are very clear, very bright, and the colours are beautiful. Also, the hardware and software with the projectors, the adjustments you can make, and the people behind them – Christie are doing a good job.”

Despite difficult conditions for tourism and attractions, the show drew more than 580,000 visitors, with individual light exhibits spaced out to reduce crowding issues and ensure a safe event. “We were really proud of how everything came together,” adds Robin van der Heiden, sales manager, Sahara Benelux, “and we look forward to participating in future events like this. We’re already working on another installation with Griffyn projector, and are excited about future opportunities.”

“We are incredibly proud that this edition of GLOW – spread across the entire city – was able to take place thanks to the close collaboration with artists from home and abroad,” says Ronald Ramakers, director of GLOW. “We have worked together with the municipality of Eindhoven and other key partners to make this event a great success. GLOW 2021 was bigger than ever. About 35 light artists from home and abroad have created some of the most inspiring and innovative light exhibits ever seen at GLOW.”