The Brazillian pavilion at Expo Milano

The theme of the pavilion was to express a range of ideas such as flexibility, the search for balance and the articulation of rhythm, fundamental to human life. Within the pavilion itself, the food, agriculture and technology of Brazil was illustrated using Panasonic projectors and displays.

Leader in food production

Brazil's pavilion, which totalled about 4100 m2, was designed to show visitors all the initiatives, planned or under way, for expanding and diversifying food production. The pavilion demonstrates advanced technologies that are to be applied in a sustainable way in order to meet demand from around the world.

On the first floor of the pavilion, a 55-metrelong wall with a horizontal resolution of 35,000 pixels served as a screen for a short video.

Alessio Comper, who oversees installations at A&T Multimedia, the integrator that created the installation, explains, "One of the major installations consisted of 22 Panasonic PT-DZ870 video projectors with an ET-DLE030 ultra short throw lens with edge blending, these projectors form a single image on a wall more than 55 metres long. 

“The projected images help visitors to explore raw materials and advanced agricultural techniques used in Brazil for diversifying food products. The ET-DLE030 lens made this installation possible because it means that an image 3.2 metres along the base can be projected from a distance of just 130cm. The projection extends to 2 metres from just 5cm above the floor."

"We were able to keep the depth of the installation very confined despite the difficulties inherent in the presence of other installations and structural components," said Alessio Comper.

"The ultra-short throw lens helped with this, as well as enabling visitors to approach the projection screen closely without covering the images.”

The structure of the Brazilian pavilion was also attached to the walkway netting, which generated significant oscillations. The projected pixel was around 1.6 mm across; with 30% blending and the UST lens, a minimum amount of structural vibration was enough to affect the alignment and nesting of the film.

This difficulty was minimised by using fixing posts for the projectors with micrometric adjustment. Weekly maintenance was also done to check and recalibrate the blending electronically (using a remote control.) The 22 projectors were networked with Panasonic's multi-projector monitoring and control software. They were programmed to come on 30 minutes before the show began each day and go off 30 minutes after it ended. 

Videowalls

On the wall opposite the edge-blended projection, five videowalls, each 1x5, were installed to display typical Brazilian agricultural products. Each videowall consisted of five Panasonic TH-47LFV5 monitors. All monitors were aligned horizontally and the display input had a horizontal resolution of 9600 pixels.

A PC was provided for each 1x5 videowall, with a DisplayPort video card to manage the independent content on display.

Back-projection

On the second floor, 24 Panasonic PT-DZ780 projectors were installed, displaying Brazil's food and agriculture story. The projection was divided among 24 stations, each with a proximity sensor to activate the projection on translucent screens as a visitor approached. The projectors were mounted on the opposite wall at a height of 8.5 metres.

For this projection the dimensions of the translucent screens were not compatible with the video format, blending was added to reduce the images and avoid overflow onto adjacent surfaces, demonstrating the adaptability of the PT-DZ870.

A Panasonic PT-DZ870 was also used in the auditorium, a 500 m2 structure accommodating 200 people and featuring retractable seating.

Christine Concheso, Deputy General Commissioner and Director of the Brazil Pavilion, said, "I believe our pavilion offered a really special concept. The multimedia installation was designed to be non-intrusive, creating a relaxed atmosphere. Our visitors varied from young students to entire families, to older people. This demonstrates the appeal.”