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#Inspiration: Hold That Elevator!

One of the best parts about projection mapping is the ability to make a truly immersive experience. You can surround yourself with light and be transported to an entirely new world. Hit the jump to see this amazing animated elevator, celebrating the new 1 World Trade Center in a way that transports audiences through New York’s past and present.

Nine 75-inch, high-definition monitors are combined in window-like bezels to make viewers feel as if they are inside a glass-walled elevator. While not projection mapping, it’s not hard to see how one can surround yourself in a similar way with projected light. The piece starts 55 feet below ground in the 1500s. As the elevator rises, you see a serene view of Manhattan passing through the times. First, a reminder that many parts of New York were once covered by the seas. Then, you see the first glimpses of the Europeans arriving to establish one of our nations early settlements. As the elevator passes the 250-foot mark, St. Paul’s Chapel occupies the eastern horizon. As the cab continues to rise, pivotal landmarks of the 19th and 20th centuries appear and transition into a series of Manhattan’s tallest towers. The final seconds show the steel beams of the new World Trade Center before reaching the observatory’s 102nd floor. The whole experience is a brilliant 47 seconds with a camera fly through of New York on descent.

The show was designed by the Hettema Group of Pasadena, California and Blur Studio of Culver City, California. The architect is Montroy Andersen DeMarco of New York.

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