Videomapping

From entertainment, to art, to urban regeneration VIDEOMAPPING

Chiara Benedettini

Light is an expressive element of architecture: it alters the space and modifies the forms, transforming the environments. So does video mapping, increasingly hybridised with other technologies such as Augmented Reality, holograms, immersion, allowing for artistic readings.

Bright Festival at Kunstkraftwerk Leipzig by Michele Pusceddu

This article is not aiming to make history of mapping, or to become a reportage from one of the many art exhibitions and events made with large format projections that are underway, in Italy but above all elsewhere. We would just like to (about ten years after the "birth", if we can call it that, of the techniques of mapping as we know it today) offer you a snapshot of the current situation from different points of view. In fact, it seems that mapping is experiencing a season of expansion: on the one hand, certainly due to the natural progression of the phenomenon, in a circle that feeds itself between the increasing consensus of the public and the increase of these events, without forgetting the role of technologies that are increasingly performing and easy to use. On the other hand, the pandemic has paradoxically given a boost to these events, because many public administrations have chosen it as an alternative to other social or territorial promotion activities, which are no longer feasible. The fact is that today everyone knows what video mapping is, even if they don't know how it is done or what the techniques behind it are, and people have got used to finding these phenomena in their cities and going out to see the new multimedia exhibitions or read about them in newspapers and magazines.

What are the benefits of video mapping?

There are various applications of video mapping, not without hybridisations, but each with its own artistic and business model. What, at least in Italy, is most familiar to us is the artistic mapping, or the recovery - with an important re-reading or reworking - of works of art by artists familiar (not surprisingly) to the general public. The artist's most famous works are re-projected in large format often on a mix of surfaces, including panels and walls of the environment where the exhibition takes place; sometimes the work is simply proposed again by adding the spectacularity of the large format and immersion, in other cases the curators operate a real reinterpretation, in fact creating a new work that comes from the mix given by the original work and the creative work linked to storytelling and the use of technologies, an operation that can be visually and culturally much more interesting than the projection itself, sometimes resulting in real video art or multimedia art. The latter, which however does not necessarily use video mapping techniques, is instead an original artistic production that uses the technological tool instead of the traditional ones, and not to be confused with the artistic mapping. Outdoor mapping is the form that is developing the most: projections on buildings, bridges, monuments of cities and small villages, often coinciding with events or holiday periods (Christmas, summer, etc.) as a vehicle for promotion, rediscovery, and entertainment for visitors, mostly commissioned by public administrations. Last but not least, the form perhaps born first, served as a driving element: the mapping for corporate intended as the explicit promotion of a product, a character,

film or similar, which becomes an event in itself and where the artistic element can be more or less present. To clarify our ideas, we talked about it with three people who represent as many views on the subject: Claudio Caciolli, Creative Director of Bright Festival, organiser of exhibitions and festivals of artistic and outdoor mapping, Alberto Kellner Ongaro of Laser Entartainment (a company that, since 2010, has been the first to work in Italy on the technical set-up of mapping), and Bart Kresa, multimedia artist and founder of the Bartkresa Studio in Santa Monica.

Video mapping today

Both Caciolli and Kellner told us about a moment of expansion for external mapping, linked to the orders of public administrations: not only in the pandemic period was it one of the few events compatible with health restrictions, but it often responds to the multiple needs of artistic and cultural events capable of reaching a large number of people (thanks to spectacularisation), to promote the area and attract visitors. The latest trend is enabling the public to interact with the show, thanks to new technologies. With a smartphone and a hashtag, people can send comments, sketches, tweets with images, creating a form of Digital Graffiti. Another effect of the pandemic has been the renovation of many museums, which have taken the opportunity of restrictions on visits, and state aid, to update or rethink their proposal: "In many cases - Kellner tells us - the focus has been on storytelling and, thanks to technologies, the ingredient of spectacularisation has been added to the museum itinerary". A case in point is the Cà del Diavolo museum, in Bellano on Lake Como: the tower itself does not attract many visitors, and the administration therefore wanted to make the tower a museum on three floors to discover the history and origins of the territory, of the mysteries and legends related to the Bellano Ravine, making visitors relive them through immersive video projections, virtual guides and sounds. A successful operation that has relaunched the territory and the Ravine, bringing new visitors. Equally interesting are the examples of artistic mapping, that

The proposal by Kanaka Studio, guest of the Fête des Lumières in Lyon, in 2020

is the reinterpretation of the works of famous artists thanks to video projection, even if, according to our interlocutors, it is necessary to make the right distinctions: if this is site specific, that is, it starts from a place, multimedia art exhibitions live regardless of their setting, and fit into the channels of art exhibitions. Bart Kresa's opinion, however, is that "art exhibitions often oversimplify the relationship with the artist and limit themselves to enlarging and spectacularising the main works. I believe instead that technology can 're-read' the work, offering new keys to use and understanding the artist's path, and in fact creating something new." It should not be forgotten, however, that artistic mapping has the great advantage of bringing new generations, and a less accustomed public, closer to artists and the language of art in general. Kellner adds: "Today's teenagers, it's not new, they learn through images and are used to very fast and intuitive communication but traditional art, if not mediated, needs slower times and ways. Mapping can be precisely this 'medium', which translates a language that is difficult to appreciate with something more understandable."

The role of technologies

Obviously, that of technologies is not a secondary role: their evolution has in fact greatly helped the spread of video mapping, in all its forms. "Compared to the early years - explains Alberto Kellner -, video projectors with laser light sources have recently been introduced, which have brought about a great simplification in all respects: very reduced dimensions and weight of the machines with the same performance, possibility of installation also not in the classic horizontal position, lower consumption and above all fewer colorimetry problems with the progression of use and, in general, greater stability. Same thing on the player side: solid state memories are more stable and reliable than the PCs we used at the beginning." The same aspects were commented on by Claudio Caciolli, from the point of view of the organiser: "Technological evolution has simplified work and lowered costs, making video mapping more accessible even for clients with budgets of a few thousand euros, which really encourages its diffusion in recent years." Furthermore, in the market, some companies (eg. Epson and Panasonic) have clearly invested in the direction of events in general and video mapping, directing production towards laser devices and experimenting with technologies for colour fidelity, warping and blending, and calibration, without resorting to external equipment. And, in fact, by not investing in the evolution of the range for other applications - such as the thriving corporate world -, if anything by dedicating other types of products, from displays to video walls to the latest generation LED displays. As many steps forward have been made by the builders of supports, houses and protection systems. At this point we asked Kresa if the creative process also benefited from technologies in the same way: "I started when 3D simulation tools did not exist, I confess that I still start from

Multimedia show with laser video projections and lights on a water screen and fountains

Bright Festival animates the facade of the Farnesina in Rome

drawing and imagination, because a good artistic idea or inspiration cannot be replaced by technology. I always start from the idea of making the spectator's experience engaging, rewarding, and new. It must be something new and memorable for the viewer. However, I use the 3D simulation, which I think is very useful, in cases of particular complexity of the projection, to verify that the intuitions and their realisation through the technology are correctly set."

Video mapping and more: lighting, holograms, sounds

Mapping was born as an expression created with video projected images but, as mentioned, the hybridisations with other technologies and other forms of expression, not only visual, are now much more frequent and maybe even trendy. Among the most practiced, holograms: thanks to video projection it’s now possible to obtain an illusion of three-dimensionality that allows you to recreate, for example, human figures in motion, shapes, and objects. If associated with a sound source, the hologram can turn into the narrator of a story, the mentor for a guided tour, etc. Kellner: “Now these technologies are much more accessible and therefore more common. In addition to holograms, we are also increasingly asked for the Ghost Imaging technique, which allows us to recreate objects and figures with light starting from a physical object, but techniques with semi-transparent screens are also spreading, which give the impression that the image is floating in space. I believe we were among the first to bring the technique of projections on water screens to Europe, both outdoors and indoors: in combination with the dancing fountains, it allows for spectacular three-dimensional effects. These effects can then be combined with video mapping techniques, according to the chosen creative project.” Augmented Reality, on the other hand, is often used for territorial enhancement projects, to offer information, indications and tell stories, in combination with the images of the mapping. “Mapping is increasingly mixed with light, and many festivals that started out as lighting-related events, such as the Lyon Festival of Lights, which we have often participated in, are an example of this,” Claudio Caciolli told us. Complementary to the mapping, the sound can be used as a soundtrack, but also to go a step further: "Being a musician also helped me a lot - Kresa told us - to define the timing and rhythm of my works, which are essential to every live show. Unfortunately, it is rare that there is a sufficient budget to compose original music for a mapping job, but when it happens, it is possible to go beyond the concept of 'soundtrack' and thus recreate a true multimedia work where sound and image interact."

Mapping and virtual reality

The idea that appears most interesting is the one that integrates video mapping and immersion, obtained through green screen techniques: a trend that became clearer during the pandemic and that started the virtual events. “These techniques - as Kellner explains - were previously confined for cost reasons to large television productions, but today they are more accessible to companies, thanks to the enormous possibilities of computer graphics. So now it is possible to show products in 3D to customers who are on the other side of the globe, or simply offer a new event experience to their partners. A demand that remains high even now, and that has opened the doors of public administration customers to us. If we then consider that mapping is increasingly chosen by these users as a means of local promotion, we realise how much the club can feed itself positively."

Italy and the rest of the world

But how does Italy fit into the international video mapping scene? We asked Claudio Caciolli, accustomed to working in cosmopolitan contexts: "Italy, as happens in other contexts, is slower: video mapping has arrived late and above all it is gaining ground years later than, for example, United States, or the United Arab Emirates. Or, if I want to look only at Europe, I think of France, where for at least four or five years there have been permanent sites dedicated to mapping, such as L'Atelier des Lumières in Paris, or festivals that attract thousands of people, even out of season and in non-tourist cities such as the Video Mapping Festival between Lille, Paris and many smaller cities in the North. Or Germany, at the Kunst Kraft Werk in Leipzig with a selection of works by different artists, linked to our project with the Farnesina.” Yet, on a creative and production level, the Italians have an excellent reputation. But why then is there this delay in Italy? Again Caciolli: “Our Bright Festival format is open to different artists, coming from many countries, and we see that the proposals of our compatriots are generally original, creative and innovative, so that they are often chosen by international reviews. Obviously there is not just one single reason for the delay in Italian video mapping. There are lots of cultural reasons too. From our experience, when we organise the

Video mapping at the castle of Melfi Christmas 2021, Laser Entertainment / Tequila Service

Bright Festival, we often have to battle with bureaucracy, customs, timing. Sometimes, although it is the local administration that commissioned the work, it is then difficult to get the piazza in darkness, which complicates everything. This is why many Italians, including organisers, fly abroad."

Ideas for the future

Video mapping is flourishing at the moment, but what could the future fields of application be? Here are some ideas from Bart Kresa, from an exquisitely artistic point of view: "Theme parks are the best for audience experience: they are able to make us live in a world different from the one we live every day, magical and fun, making us feel at home and at ease all in one. I think we will have to take a cue from them: video mapping could in fact help to recreate environments, offering a new experience, but going beyond a simple make-up. After spending the day among the attractions, do you want to spend the night in the Toy Story room or in the Beauty and the Beast room? Video mapping can change the setting without having to bear the costs of all different rooms, and of cyclical renewals that instead become immediate."But there is also a trend that sees video mapping as a tool for the regeneration of urban spaces: it can in fact help re-read places and re-appropriate them, emphasising their cultural specificity. Environments and degraded areas can in fact benefit from these technologies that make them usable and enjoyable again.  https://bartkresa.com/ www.brightfestival.com/ www.discoveringbellano.eu/it /ca-del-diavol/ www.laserentertainment.com/

L'Ologramma, questo (s)conosciuto

Con il termine ologramma si identificano in genere le immagini tridimensionali, e in particolare quelle stereoscopiche, ovvero quelle che appaiono con prospettive diverse a seconda del punto di osservazione. L’ologramma consente di riprodurre, con notevole precisione, un’immagine precedentemente registrata. In fase di registrazione un fascio di luce laser viene inviato sia verso l’oggetto da riprodurre, sia verso una lastra di materiale sensibile. Grazie a un gioco di specchi, la luce che arriva dalla sorgente interferisce con quella riflessa dall’oggetto. Sulla lastra dunque si formano delle linee, chiamate frange di interferenza. Le frange contengono l’informazione sulla tridimensionalità.

Illuminando la lastra con un altro fascio laser, infatti, si riesce a decodificare l’informazione ricostruendo l’immagine tridimensionale dell’oggetto, che finalmente appare allo spettatore come se fosse fisicamente presente. Successivi sviluppi della tecnica hanno consentito di realizzare ologrammi visibili anche con luce bianca o solare e ologrammi stampati, nei quali il reticolo di diffrazione viene riprodotto su un supporto di plastica trasparente, appoggiato a sua volta su uno strato argentato, come avviene in alcune carte di credito.

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The hologram, (un)known

The term hologram generally identifies three-dimensional images, and in particular stereoscopic images, i.e. those that appear with different perspectives depending on the point of observation. The hologram allows you to reproduce, with great precision, a previously recorded image. During the recording phase, a beam of laser light is sent both towards the object to be reproduced and towards a plate of sensitive material. Thanks to a game of mirrors, the light coming from the source interferes with that reflected from the object. On the plate, therefore, lines are formed, called interference fringes. The fringes contain information on three-dimensionality.

By illuminating the plate with another laser beam, in fact, it is possible to decode the information by reconstructing the three-dimensional image of the object, which finally appears to the viewer as if it were physically present. Subsequent developments in the technique have made it possible to create holograms that are visible even with white or solar light and printed holograms, in which the diffraction grating is reproduced on a transparent plastic support, in turn resting on a silver layer, as occurs in some papers of credit cards.

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