Christie projects the story of Birsa Munda
Published: ASIA
INDIA: The Kanke Dam hillside was recently transformed into a canvas to depict the story of Birsa Munda, the Indian folk hero who led the Ulgulaan movement against the British imperialists in the 19th century. The Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) commissioned the nightly 40-minute show, which saw Tricolor India Schauspiel permanently install four Christie Roadster S+22K-J 3DLP projectors.
Tricolor India Schauspiel is Christie’s partner in the country and was selected to facilitate the exhibit following its experience in similar projection mapping projects. For this display, entitled Dharti Aaba, Tricolor has deployed the four S+22K-J projectors in portrait mode inside a specially constructed control cabin 100m away from the rocky hillside that serves as the projection surface. The visuals created measure 60m wide x 25m high.
‘It took us six months to implement the project and we decided to deploy the Roadster S+22K-J projectors because of their unmatched brightness and robustness for such an outdoor install,’ explained Tricolor India Schauspiel’s creative director, Himanshu Sabharwal. ‘This is our first install on a hillside and we have learned to play with dark surfaces by creating the content in a particular way.
The biggest challenge Mr Sabharwal and his team reportedly faced was to map the projection onto the hillside without losing light in the bumps and crevices, while installing as few projectors as possible. To overcome this, Tricolor arranged and edge-blended the four Christie projectors to cover the entire mountain. The cabin, meanwhile, was built at the optimum angle and vantage point.
Mr Sabharwal visualised the show content, while Indian actors Kabir Bedi and Om Puri provided voiceovers in English and Hindi respectively. Indian Ocean composed the background music.
‘I applaud Himanshu and his team for their excellent conceptualisation, planning and execution of the show, as well as resourcefulness in creating innovative ways to overcome the challenges faced in the deployment and setting up of the projectors, so as to provide the best visual experience for the audience,’ said Christie Asia Pacific vice president, Lin Yu. ‘We are delighted that our partner Tricolor India Schauspiel has chosen Christie visual solutions to deliver this inspiring and spectacular light show.’
‘Overall I’m pleased with the performance of the projectors,’ concluded Mr Sabharwal. ‘Our clients are also happy with the transformation of the hillside.’