Rancho Cordova, Calif. – Visualization pioneer Barco announced that its leading three-chip DLP projection technologies will be used throughout the expanded and renovated Museum of the Moving Image (Astoria, New York) when it reopens on January 15, 2011. Seventeen Barco projectors will be used in high-profile spaces including a 50-foot-long seamless projection wall in the lobby, the new Video Screening Amphitheater, a new 68-seat screening room, and in the inaugural exhibition “Real Virtuality.”
The exhibition's six experiments in art and technology, including a commissioned work by the Flemish collective Workspace Unlimited titled “Realtime Unreal,” utilize ten RLM-W6 projectors in a variety of installations, two of which are stereoscopic. These installations employ video game engines, motion- and position-tracking, and sophisticated image processing to create simulated worlds that extend, augment, or disrupt the physical environment of the Museum space. “Barco gave us the chance to show audiences the full potential of our virtual worlds on a life-size scale with the best projectors in the industry,” said Thomas Soetens of Workspace Unlimited. “In 'Realtime Unreal,' a world is depicted in 3D and seems to float in space, while the visitor's movement around the gallery modifies the projection in real time, leaving the projectors to display a trompe-l'œil so believable that the screen disappears. We are proud to be part of a mutually inspiring dialogue, and this project is a perfect example of how the culture and technology industries influence each other to innovate.”
One of the exhibits, “Into the Forest” by the OpenEnded Group, simulates a children's game of hide-and-seek in a digital forest, featuring a computer-generated world in the style of a hand-drawn illustration. Pablo Valbuena's “Augmented Sculpture” uses digitally animated projections to augment, extend and transform architectural details of the Museum's gallery. The “Night Journey” extends the work of pioneering video artist Bill Viola into an archetypal journey toward enlightenment through the mechanics of the gaming experience. “RMB City” by Cao Fei simulates the Beijings of yesterday, today and tomorrow within the multi-user virtual world “Second Life.” In “Cathedral,” artist Marco Brambilla presents a Toronto shopping mall in dizzying, kaleidoscopic 9K projection to evoke America's obsession with conspicuous consumerism.
“We are very grateful for Barco's generous support of our expansion and exhibitions. The company's innovative solutions have enabled us to achieve more than we've ever imagined. Barco's participation ensures that the Museum's moving images, whether encountered in our screening environments, new public spaces, or exhibition gallery, will be presented at the highest quality,” commented Rochelle Slovin, Director of Museum of the Moving Image. “We look forward to building a long-term relationship with Barco, in which our museum can serve as an ongoing showcase for their evolving technologies.”
In addition to the opening exhibition, Barco projectors play an integral role in high-profile new spaces in the redesigned Museum. Upon entering the Museum, visitors will encounter the first of many moving images in the form of a stunning 50-foot-long seamless panorama of projected video using five Barco RLM-W6 projectors. The inaugural presentation, City Glow, a mural-scale work by artist Chiho Aoshima in collaboration with animator Bruce Ferguson, uses a pictorial style derived from Japanese scroll paintings and anime, to tell a cyclical narrative featuring a cityscape that becomes overgrown at night by ghosts and fairies. In the new Video Screening Amphitheater, located at the first landing of the new grand staircase and equipped with the Barco RLM-W8 projector, a wide range of video art, animation, experimental film, and television work will be presented. The first screening is a commissioned animated film from artist Martha Colburn, “Dolls vs. Dictators”—a work inspired by dolls in the Museum's unparalleled collection of licensed merchandise. The Celeste and Armand Bartos Screening Room, equipped with Barco RLM-W8 projectors, will be used for educational programs during the day and as an intimate space for public screenings by night and on weekends.
“Barco's projectors provide astonishing color rendition, resolution and clarity. The artists were amazed at how the projectors enlivened their work in a realistic, even tactile way,” commented Carl Goodman, Senior Deputy Director. “We used the RLM-W6's wherever possible, since their ultra-high resolution is essential for presenting fine-grained, abstract imagery.”
The RLM-W6 is a cost-effective, green, three-chip DLP projector with WUXGA (1920x1200) resolution and superior color saturation and image stability, priced in the range of most single-chip DLP projectors. With an extremely low noise level of 32dB, 33% lower power consumption than comparable systems, and a 6,000 lumens light output, it is highly suitable for presentations in auditoriums, public venues and boardrooms. The RLM-W8 was recently introduced, featuring 8,000 lumens, increased contrast, geometry correction and edge blending capabilities.
“The RLM solutions are ideal for Museum of the Moving Image because of their ability to project onto any kind of surface, as a single unit, or combined in a fleet for one composite image free of disturbances,” commented Bill Morris, VP Video & Lighting for Barco. “We are honored that Museum of the Moving Image chose Barco to provide the technology platform for their new screening spaces and their inaugural exhibition, and we share their enthusiasm in presenting a truly spectacular show. The Museum is our largest RLM series installation to date, and demonstrates the visual magnitude and special effects that can be achieved when configuring these solutions in a variety of ways.”