CINITY wows at Cyprien Gaillard's ‘Retinal Rivalry’

BASEL, Switzerland - A CINITY Cinema System – powered by a pair of Christie^® CP4435-RGB pure laser projectors – mesmerized viewers with 4K, 3D, high frame rate (HFR) visuals during a premiere by video artist Cyprien Gaillard at the Fondation Beyeler gallery in Basel, Switzerland. Gaillard’s “Retinal Rivalry“ is a poignant collection of artistic scenes shot throughout Germany that immerses viewers with stunning clarity. 

To achieve his artistic vision, Gaillard and the production team – headed by Ben Gervais, Nicolas Martin and Michel Balagué as well as director of photography, Demetri Portelli – chose a CINITY Cinema System powered by two Christie RGB pure laser projectors with CineLife+™ electronics and Real|Laser™ illumination. The technical setup was handled by Christie partner CINE PROJECT.

The CP4435-RGB pure laser projectors were stacked on a platform in the middle of the room. “This type of installation requires the best projection conditions and optimum positioning,” says Michael Spreemann, head of CINE PROJECT’s Berlin branch. “Understanding the importance of positioning to deliver different display effects at different angles was paramount for this installation.” 

Immersive art concept inspired by cinema technology
The CINITY Cinema System premiered in 2019 with Ang Lee’s “Gemini Man”. Ben Gervais worked on this project as a technical supervisor. The system ensures crisper images, brighter colors, smoother image sequences, and improved sound. The creative mix of 4K, 3D, high light output, high frame rate, high dynamic range, and immersive sound is impressing audiences in cinemas around the world. 

“We originally wanted to shoot at 24 frames per second, but then Cyprien saw 'Gemini Man',” Gervais recalls. This was during a trip to Aachen, Germany, where the team went to see the CINITY installation with Christie laser projection at the local Cineplex cinema. "Cyprien then said that was exactly what he wanted." 

Unobtrusive performance
The CP4435-RGB is a compact, all-in-one DCI-compliant pure laser projector with a thermal redesigned cooling system that helps make it 2.5x quieter than its predecessor, ensuring that its presence does not affect the visual effects of the exhibition. “In addition to the outstanding image quality, the projectors are very quiet,” adds Gervais. “This was crucial to translating the full effect of Gaillard’s artistic vision. At a typical art installation, visitors might stay for a minute or two. Here, people watch the film for ten minutes on average," adds Gervais. "They go into the room and forget everything around them.”

“Retinal Rivalry” was CINE PROJECT's second collaboration with Cyprien Gaillard after the 3D film “Nightlife”(2015), which was produced in 2K DCP. Scenes in “Retinal Rivalry” include the graffiti at the Mauerpark in Berlin, which still hosts a remainder of the former Berlin wall, and a sculpture of a local puppet theatre’s popular characters in Cologne. “With ‘Retinal Rivalry,’ we have once again achieved a significant leap in quality compared to the 2015 production,” adds Spreemann. “Retinal Rivalry” will tour at further exhibits including in Turin, Berlin, and New York, before making its ‘big screen’ cinema debut.