the argyros
Ketchum, Idaho is a lively mountain town beside Sun Valley, its performing arts center a canvas made for projection mapping.
Over Memorial Day weekend of 2021 The Argyros wanted a show to light downtown for locals and visitors alike. NOVA Light Labs answered with architectural projection mapping and custom artworks worthy of the setting.
Crowds filled the street below. Visual revelry under a legendary mountain sky.
experience
The show rose over downtown just before sunset and was visible the length of Main Street.
Locals and visitors came out at night. Chairs, snacks, bleachers set for the occasion, a crowd gathered in the mountain dusk.
Community turnout is nothing new for Ketchum. A projection mapping show of this scale was, and the response was electric.
the art
A high end mountain town called for visuals with real craft.
The Argyros was open to collaboration from the start, room to bring out one of NOVA's favorite workflows: the scale model approach. A laser cut acrylic model of the building was mapped to the exact facade, a camera fixed above it.
From there the arts center team painted straight onto the model, sand and color and collage laid down by hand. Played back at scale, a larger than life hand appeared to paint the building itself. High tech and hands on at once, mesmerizing, and matched perfectly to the town's playfulness.
system
The architecture was a textbook canvas for projection mapping.
Clear line of sight came from the rooftop adjacent to The Argyros. On site power and a lift made setup straightforward.
From that vantage 5 laser projectors were aligned the night before to reach pixel perfect registration across the facade. A rugged outdoor ready flight case with integrated media server drove the whole show, rain or shine.
