The projected artwork was a 50 x 50 metre image of the Oxfordshire 2007 logo. It launched an action-packed programme of festivals and special events celebrating the county's very own millennium, co-ordinated by Oxford Inspires.
The image was beamed onto one of the 114 ft high cooling towers of Didcot A - one of three of npower's coal-fired power stations - by two overlaid 6KW PIGI Projectors, situated 200 metres away on wasteland that's part of the power station complex.
The projectors were programmed by Karen Monid, who together with Michael Barry, engineered the projection project for E//T//C UK. It was a relatively straightforward job technically, but the aesthetic results were stunning - the projections, which came into view as the dusk fell, were clearly seen by motorists passing on the busy A4130.
E//T//C UK's Ross Ashton comments, "This was a very exciting place to work. We wish Oxford all the best for its year of celebrations."
Project co-ordinator for Oxford Inspires, Cath Nightingale asked E//T//C UK onboard after they were highly recommended. She says: "We're delighted that Didcot Power Station entered into the spirit of Oxfordshire 2007 - with a spark of imagination, a dash of innovation and a sense of occasion."
John Rainford, manager of Didcot Power Station said: "Energy is at the centre of our business and at the heart of our work in the community. The projection shows our enthusiasm to be involved."
Commenced during the 1960's, and completed in the early 1970s, Didcot Power Station supplies the National Grid powering over a million homes across the country and making an invaluable contribution to the local economy. The 2000MS dual coal-fired Didcot A station and its giant chimneys and cooling towers are arguably the county's most iconic industrial landmark - visible right across the Thames Valley.
(Chris Henry)
