Digital Art sublimates Reality in Nancy

Culture, heritage, and technology intertwine as a team of enthusiasts metamorphoses architectural sites for an evening. Reporting from the city of Nancy, on the Stanislas square, which celebrated the 40th anniversary of its inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a special edition of the Monumental Tour.

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Client: AV Extended and Monumental Tour

Location: Nancy, France

Product(s) supplied: PT-RQ22K PT-RQ35K

Challenge

Ensure daily video mappings covering 4000 m² in a historical landmark, and for one night, become the stage of a giant concert.

Solution

A semi-permanent installation of six Panasonic 3DLP projectors, ranging from 20,000 to 30,000 lumens, concealed within ventilated enclosures on the roofs of the square, remotely controllable.

Showcase and valorize French architectural heritage

We find ourselves in Nancy, on the Place Stanislas, part of a vast architectural ensemble from the 18th century and one of the most beautiful squares in France. Since 2007, the city of Nancy has organized free video projection shows on the square every day in the summer and regularly throughout the year. Since 2022, AV Extended has been leading the project. The agency, specializing in large-scale events, creates multimedia content and ensures the implementation of Panasonic projectors, enclosures, servers, and fiber, in a fully integrated installation.

"For nearly ten years, we have been working with the Panasonic brand in audiovisual integrations. We are passionate about cathedrals and heritage buildings, and highlighting them has always been one of our main objectives within the agency."

High brightness projectors in a compact format

The projection covers 5 facades, extending over 210 meters in length at 270 degrees, for a total of just under 4000 m2, making it one of the largest projection surfaces in Europe.

"Only Panasonic projectors offer such high brightness in such a compact format."

The PT-RQ35K laser projectors with 30,000 lumens were chosen because they provide the necessary power to ensure clear and vibrant projection at over 100 meters. Often, with such powerful projectors, there comes an increase in size and weight, which can make transportation and installation difficult, but the PT-RQ35K projectors are the most compact and lightweight in their class.

Discreet integration into a historical landmark

The seven projectors are perched on the rooftops of the buildings that line the square, housed in ventilated zinc enclosures. The design of these enclosures has been approved by the “Association of Architects of Historic Monuments of France” to seamlessly blend into the surroundings. Thanks to their exceptionally compact and durable design, the PT-RQ35K projectors are suitable for such outdoor installations, regardless of weather conditions, from June to September and between November and January. 

The projectors are all connected via single-mode fiber to the servers located in the basement of the town hall. The integration of cables is also discreet and buried under the cobblestones of the square.

Remote Management

For the daily mappings, the show is launched and managed remotely by AV Extended, without a technician on-site.

"Another very interesting feature of Panasonic's 3DLP projectors for operation is the pre-show mode when you're on the projector's network interface to check the signal remotely, to know if the signal is clean and there are no transmission issues," adds Clément Hahusseau. The Remote Preview function allows the operator to check the integrity of the video signal by viewing thumbnails of the input signal on a computer before projection. Accessible via software or a web browser, Remote Preview works with the projector in standby mode or with the shutter on.

Unparalleled Colour Accuracy

The laser engine of the PT-RQ35K combines a red laser and two blue lasers operating at different wavelengths, expanding the colour reproduction range. Since the red laser is sensitive to temperature fluctuations, Panasonic innovates with dynamic digital control that regulates the output and cooling of the red laser for consistent image quality. Reds are vivid, blues are deep and natural, for a spectacular expression of colours that holds on to the stone.

A highlight for the city, its inhabitants, and tourists

For cities like Nancy,video mapping  is a key cultural event that brings people together and contributes to the city attractiveness and development of tourism, offering a unique and innovative experience to both residents and the numerous tourists. Since 2007, the video mapping of Place Stanislas has seen 16 editions and attracted over 7 million spectators. In 2023, the latest summer spectacle envisioned by AV Extended ran during 86 performances. A total of 500,000 spectators applauded it (with an average of 5,800 spectators per performance). Tourism indicators are positive: increased attendance (+10% between October 2021 and August 2022) and a gradual return of foreign visitors (+26%).

An outstanding show of the Monumental Tour

For one evening, AV Extended's installation in Nancy stepped up to host the Monumental Tour for a phenomenal show by DJ and producer Michael Canitrot. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Place Stanislas' inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Michael Canitrot and his guests treated a crowd of 22,000 people to over 3 hours of mixes from the balcony of the Town Hall, accompanied by a new digital art creation by AV Extended. The video projections transformed the facades into a living canvas, animated to the rhythm of the music. An unforgettable evening where contemporary music, history, and technology intertwined to offer a truly monumental experience.

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