AntiVJ's Omicron Is A Monument To Projection Mapping

O (Omicron) from Romain Tardy (AntiVJ) on Vimeo.

When it comes to projection mapping, we’re used to the artwork being of a transient nature. One minute it’s there, blowing minds and evoking sighs of wonder, the next you’re staring at the outside of a building, the augmented wonderland gone. But projection mapping masters AntiVJ have created their first permanent projection mapping, called Omicron.

It takes as its canvas a huge dome with a 65m diameter that lies inside the Hala Stulecia (Centennial Hall) in Wroclaw, Poland. Built between 1911-13 by German architect Max Berg, at the time it was home to the largest dome made since the Pantheon in Rome, and now it’s a World Heritage Site. AntiVJ used this history as a starting point for their piece, exploring the idea of timelessness in architecture and representations of the future, making reference to Fritz Lang's Metropolis and the futurist visions of avant-garde architectural group Archigram.

They explain:

A deliberately minimalist visual aesthetic allowed [us] to highlight the very architecture of Hala Stulecia's dome and re-affirm its place at the core of the piece. Minimalism also appeared to be the most appropriate means of conveying this idea of future at different periods of time (from 20s/30s anticipation film to more contemporary productions ). But the use of these references was not simply formal: the vision of futuristic totalitarian societies seemed to echo back real moments in the history of the building, warning us against the dangers of an idealized vision of the future.

Inspiration for the music composed by Thomas for this project was found in both orchestral work, echoing the colossal size of the architecture, and electronic textures, evoking the action of time. The score also tried and recreate a sense of evolution of the materials used for the dome structure, and their sonic aging.

It’ll be interesting to see how artists in the future riff on this monument to early 21st century projection mapping. You can watch the making of below.

@stewart23rd