6 Video Artists Pulled Off the Biggest Projection Mapping Show in History

Tens of thousands of Romanians descended on Constituției Square for iMapp Bucharest 2016, the biggest international video mapping competition in the world. Every year in September, the Municipality of Bucharest hosts some of the world’s most outstanding video artists to present a series of architectural projections onto the 60,000 sq. ft. facade of the Palace of Parliament, the second largest administrative building in the world. 104 high-powered projectors cover the the building in over 20,000 lumens of light. Each 3D multimedia show plays with the Palace’s architectonic elements, using the building’s structural outline as the foundation for dynamic optical illusions that incorporate color, sound, and shape.

Filip Roca – Dislexia (2016)

Dislexia iMapp 2016 from Filip Roca on Vimeo.

This year marks the third edition of the iMapp festival and competition. The festival first launched in 2014, when it served primarily as a celebration of the 555th anniversary of Romania’s capital city. This year, the show’s creative concept was ‘dialogues’—each of the six artists were tasked with exploring different interactions with their audiovisual performances. The organizers of the show encouraged creative ways of creating a conversation between the building and the sea of people standing in the audience.

Illuminarium 3000 – Close Encounters of the Thirty Third Kind (2016)

Artwork. Illuminarium3000. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRTY THIRD KIND from ILLUMINARIUM3000 on Vimeo.

The competition’s shortlist this year was made up of artist from all over the globe. Artist Filip Roca from Montenegro put forth an abstract geometrical piece about the inability to communicate. VOID, the Istanbul-based creative agency responsible for a dynamic brain visualizer, represented Turkey at the competition this month. The Limelight team from Hungary showcased an incredibly complex montage of depth illusions and kaleidoscopic movements that ultimately culminated with a kinetic octopus-woman graphic. The Spanish audiovisual specialists at Romera Diseño e Infografia SL presented an entrancing futurist mosaic entitled Chaos 2 Understanding. Representing Russia was digital creative team Illuminarium 3000, who were then followed by host team Mindscape Studio.

Romera Diseño e Infografia SL – Chaos 2 Understanding (2016)

Imapp 2016 Teaser Chaos2Understanding from Romera Diseño e Infografía S.L on Vimeo.

Mindscape Studio – We Are Them (2016)

“We Are Them” at iMapp Bucharest 2016 from Mindscape Studio on Vimeo.

The competition has two award categories, one chosen by a professional jury, the other by the public. The former is picked by a panel of five judges, while the latter is decided by the public via text message. This year, Limelight’s Interconnection took first prize, winning both the jury and people’s choice awards. Check out footage of the winning performance below:

Limelight – Interconnection (2016)

“Interconnection”- The winner of iMapp 2016 – official 4K video from Limelight 3d Projection Mapping on Vimeo.

Head over to iMapp’s website for more information about the competition.

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