As projectors continue to become smaller, more powerful and more affordable, artists and communities are discovering new ways for telling stories in unique locations and in unexpected ways. No longer restricted to simply screening pre-recorded films, advances in software are enabling people to tell compelling stories in real time that interact with physical structures and human movements.
We thought we’d highlight some of our favorite projects involving projectors from the past year:
Rooftop Films – While maybe not the newest idea, average people are converting rooftops and parking lots into movie theaters and inviting the community.
Graffiti Research Lab’s Mobile Projector – New York’s urban communication specialists outfitted a regular bicycle with a generator, DLP projector on a gun turret, 1200 watts of audio, and a laser pen that enables people to write on building miles away.
Urban Screen – A creative collective based in Bremen, Germany that create interactive video installations for specific pieces sites. Each piece requires the group to build a scale model of the actual building they plan to project on.
Recoil Performance Group – A Danish dance group has been exploring the boundaries of contemporary dance, using digital technology as an “equal and interacting partner to the performing artist.” Their ‘Labyrinth’ installation takes place on an interactive floor projection using infrared technology to digitally ‘blobtrack’ the dancer’s movements.
Shantell Martin - A young designer and renowned VJ who illustrates the music, people, and general environement at clubs, drawing in sync with the music on a wacomb tablet while wandering around through the crowd. All images are projected in real time on surrounding walls, on the audience, and even over the main act.
Polygon Playground - Polygon Playground is a large scale interactive lounge object that can accommodate up to 40 people. A 3D surface projection system enables seamless 360 degree projections while a sensory system detects people’s positions and proximity.
Memory Cloud – Taking the idea of the smoke signal as a jumping-off point, this installation in Trafalgar Square allowed members of the public to send giant text messages across the square, which were then grafted onto plumes of smoke.
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