Shania talks about her inspiration, video mapping technology, and projecting your art on a building

This year’s Video Mapping Festival in Lille, France, was special for many reasons: the Christie team met some of the best projection artists in the world (including Bianca Turner and Fred Ebami!), we worked with our partner Rencontres Audiovisuelles to illuminate buildings throughout the city center, and, as part of our Christie Ignite program, we had a chance to connect with the next generation of artists on the monument video mapping project titled “Dreams and nightmares”.  

The festival invited international students  to a four-day workshop where they learned, created, and then projection-mapped their work onto the regional headquarters of Crédit Mutuel Nord Europe. During the workshop, we provided training on our content management and show control software, Christie Pandoras Box^®.  

Christie Ignite workshop in Lille

One student, Shania Bowie, stood out for her enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. We had a chance to catch up with Shania recently and talk to her about her experience at the festival, what she learned, and what’s next for her as an up-and-coming artist.  

The interview with Shania has been lightly edited for length and clarity. 

Tell us a little about yourself!  

Hi! I’m Shania Bowie, a third-year computer animation student at Leeds Arts University. I have a passion for art and animation and, more recently, projection mapping. 

What inspired you to take part in the Video Mapping Festival? 

I had some experience with projection mapping and I thought it would be amazing to project my work on a large scale and showcase it to thousands of visitors. 

What did you hope to learn at the festival? 

I was hoping to learn what it was like to work with professionals in a professional setting.  

My aim was to gain insights into the creative process behind large-scale installations and the collaborative dynamics involved in producing impactful visual experiences for audiences. 

What did you take away from the workshop on Pandoras Box? 

The Christie Pandoras Box workshop provided a lot of insights into the technical aspects of making a mapping festival possible. I gained knowledge about the projectors from the Christie crew and learned how to adapt animations to complex architectural facades.  

Understanding the intricacies of projecting onto buildings and the importance of collaboration and teamwork was essential in making these installations successful. This experience showed how crucial every element is to bring these festivals to life. 

Could you tell us a little about creating the video mapping project at the festival? What was it like to see your work on a building?  

Creating and projecting a mapping animation at the Video Mapping Festival in Lille was an amazing experience.  

It involved creative brainstorming with a group of four fellow students from around the world, who came together to create one idea based on the theme of dreams and nightmares. The professionals at the workshop helped with real-time problem-solving and technology, and they allowed us to use projectors on a mock building before seeing the end result.  

Seeing our work projected on a grand scale, interacting with the building's architecture, and receiving audience feedback and praise was extremely fulfilling and provided a real-world application of our skills and creativity. Overall, it gave me the confidence to expand my skill set and participate in more opportunities. 

What was the biggest challenge (if any!) you faced at the festival in developing and projecting content? 

The biggest challenge was adapting our animations to fit the building’s unique architecture, including its windows and edges. Overcoming this required continuous refinement of our content to keep it engaging and aligned with the architectural features. The workshop's guidance was helpful in navigating this process and ensuring our projections resonated with the audience. 

Tell us what’s next! Will you continue in this field? 

From this experience, my passion for video mapping and creating immersive experiences has grown immensely. Seeing my art projected on a large scale and witnessing the audience's emotional reactions has been incredibly rewarding. I aspire to continue crafting meaningful animations that evoke strong emotions and inspire others, just as the workshop inspired me. 

Is there anything else you’d like to add? 

 I’m deeply grateful for this experience and would love the opportunity to work with Pandoras Box and Christie again. The support for emerging artists like me has been so helpful and allowed me to grow as an artist.