Constructed from modular intelligent LED pixel blocks, two of the venue's walls act as backdrops upon which graphics and animations, triggered from a real-time generator or MIDI keyboard, create a constantly morphing environment. Clad in Barco's proprietary MiPIX system and displaying intelligent lighting effects, 3D logos or graphics - even full video content - these moving images curve around the contours of the walls and wrap into the alcoves, giving a strangely three-dimensional depth to the walls.
For the central light sculpture, Collins enlisted light artist Chris Levine to help realize his vision. Levine created a 360° laser light sculpture shining out from the top of a central support pillar and shielded behind Perspex. To create the MiPIX walls, Collins brought together the creative team of video system specialists, Creative Technology - early adopters of MiPIX blocks - and pioneering environmental graphics engineers and live performance video specialists, United Visual Artists (UVA), both of which were hugely passionate and proud of the project. Introduced to the Kabaret project by Chris Levine, UVA provided all playback, software, programming and operational personnel, while Creative Technology was responsible for the design and integration of the MiPIX wall.
CT's sales director, Mike Walker, wanted the creative team to push the technology envelope as far as possible, by being able to address LED sculptural walls with visual art - live, in real-time, and on a nightly basis. UVA's graphical content provides the changing moods. The walls are incredible, taking on a psychedelic dimension after a few glasses of bubbly!
Each MiPIX pixel measures 4cm x 4cm and CT deployed almost 3,000 to create two vast canvasses - measuring 17.2m wide by 1.2m high. The modularity of the MiPIX display allows more pixel blocks to be added at any time, should the resolution need to be increased. However, the low-res media wall is ideal for running custom graphics sequences from a PC, thanks to some imaginative thinking by UVA's technical director, Chris Bird.
It all adds up to a system which floods the room with an ever-changing palette of colours and images, providing a flexible backdrop for any sort of event - corporate or private.
Sarah Rushton-Read
