Have you read Christie’s book on projection mapping? If not, then stop what you are doing and head over to their page. Editor’s Note: Full disclosure, Christie sponsored PMC this year.
In case you don’t know, Christie Digital is one of the largest manufacturers of professional grade projectors (the kind used in cinemas or to project onto buildings).
The Book of Transformations is a great free download with features on the history of projection mapping, a ton of case studies from their customers on projection mapping, and a projection mapping primer to learn the basics.
Snippet of the History of Projection Mapping
Here is a snippet from their projection mapping history with some great early references to projection mapping.
“Going back some 80 years, people started using slide projectors to transform concert and theater stages. Productions on Broadway and in London’s West End dabbled with projection as early as the 1930s. By the 1950s, projectors were
being used to blend theater, opera and dance productions with massive projected backdrops.
Czech-born stage designer Josef Svoboda co-founded Prague’s famed Laterna Magika theater and he’s regarded as a true pioneer in the craft of using projected visuals to sculpt, shift and transform theatrical scenes. Through his life, Svoboda had a hand in more than 700 productions, many using projection as compelling visuals. German-Austrian stage designer Günther Schneider-Siemssen also started experimenting in the 1950s with projection and hand-painted glass slides as an alternative to painted canvas sets.
New York performance artist Robert Whitman worked with a team of engineers and scientists from the famed Bell Telephone Laboratories in the mid-60s on early versions of today’s live projection spectacles.
In the late 1960s, specialty companies like the Joshua Light Show used everything from carousel slide projectors and overhead projectors to 1,200-watt airplane landing-strip lights to rear-project imagery onto the stage backdrops of
rock concert venues. At the height of the psychedelic era, they used drops of colored oils and dyes on glass slides, resulting in wild, living backdrops.”
Transformations around the World
The book features over 50 examples of projection mapping (done by Christie’s customers). The examples cover everywhere large projectors are found: festivals, corporate events, museums, government shows, and more. Be sure to click on the embedded videos (Play Video) in the pdf.
