News

Christie publishes book on projection-mapping digital signage

May 28, 2014

Christie has published and released "The Book of Transformations" — what the company is calling a "coffee table"-style book that explores and celebrates how artists and technicians are using powerful projection display technologies to visually transform familiar structures and objects — according to a company announcement.

"The Book of Transformations" provides key visuals, core plans and technical details on scores of projection mapping projects done around the world using Christie projectors and complementary enabling technologies. It is available as a free downloadable app across multiple platforms, a PDF file and as a limited release hard copy publication, the company said.

Through more than 70 case studies, readers can learn how giant office buildings, ancient temples and churches, landmark towers, bridges, performance stages and even athletic playing surfaces have been re-imagined and transformed using "light paint" and the creativity of event producers and artists.

Projection mapping involves creating an accurate, virtual version of a structure and then using powerful professional-grade projectors to transform the characteristics of that structure using painted light and motion graphics. 

The tablet version of "The Book of Transformations" includes images, embedded video and detailed narratives of how various structures and surfaces were mapped, recreated in software and then given entirely new appearances using projected light. The book also traces the history of the art form, provides an extensive primer on how projects are conceived and executed and looks at the future of the technology and medium, according to Christie.

The free tablet app is available on Apple's App Store for iPads and Google's Play Store for Android tablets. A non-interactive PDF is also available free of charge, allowing all the showcases and supporting material to be readily viewed on other tablet devices, as well as PCs and laptops.

"With this new book, we wanted to not only inspire our partners and end-users with what's possible using our projection technology, but also help explain the process and ingenuity behind some of the truly amazing projection mapping work we've seen around the world," said Kathryn Cress, vice president of global and corporate marketing for Christie, in the announcement.

Featured projection mapping displays include landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, St. Basil's Cathedral domes in Moscow's Red Square and the La Scala opera house in Milan. There are also Middle East mosques and temples, grain silos along Canada's St. Lawrence River and an old courthouse in Chile, all brought to life with projection mapping.

The book also shows how motion graphic artists and technical producers push the boundaries of projection such as in projects in South Korea and Singapore in which water vapor has served as the digital canvas. In the U.S. and Spain, new motor vehicles have been tightly wrapped in fabric and transformed through multiple projections and the imagination.

To download a copy of "The Book of Transformations," tablet users can go to http://www.christiedigital.com/en-us/projection-mapping/Pages/default.aspx#downloads.