Christie, the global visual and audio technology company, has transformed a forest into a captivating destination that invites visitors to rediscover the beauty of nature and ancient Chinese mythology.
Found in Shanghai’s Fengxian new town, the latest addition to the Lumina series of enchanted night walks was developed by Montreal-based multimedia entertainment studio Moment Factory, the multimedia entertainment studio specialising in the conception and production of immersive environments, in collaboration with Deng Yu (Shanghai) Culture Communication Co., Ltd, an interdisciplinary content production firm.
The site is operated by Shanghai Huansen Culture Development Co., Ltd and will open to the public next month after more than a year in development.
Mythical lighting
Oriens Lumina, which has an approximate floor space of 80,000 square metres (861,113 square feet), is influenced by the Chinese yin and yang philosophy of the five elements as well as the ancient book The Classic of Mountains and Seas, which is about mythical geography and creatures.
It turns the wooded area next to Jiukeshu Future Art Center into an inventive and artistic venue that offers guests a surreal, multi-sensory experience through the use of digital projections, lighting, animation, sound, and special effects.
“Christie’s high performance and reliable 3DLP and 1DLP laser projectors, with their long-lasting laser illumination, compact footprint, quiet operation and omnidirectional capabilities, are well-suited to bring the immersive environments of Oriens Lumina to life,” said Zhongqing Yingye Group’s Eastern China representative Yueyi Wu.
“We are pleased that the amazing projections blended beautifully with nature and will enable visitors to enjoy an exciting, interactive and emotional experience.”
Oriens Lumina project coordinator Minfeng Zhang added, “We are delighted to bring visitors on an exploratory journey where they can experience various types of illuminations, including projection mapping, that are used to deliver engaging stories depicted in ‘The Classic of Mountains and Seas’. Combined with music and sound effects, visitors can better appreciate the natural landscape that has been infused with regional heritage and ancient mythology.”
Elemental installations
In order to offer a variety of vibrant and lifelike visuals, a fleet of Christie 3DLP and 1DLP laser projectors, including the Crimson WU31, 4K10-HS, DWU1612-HS, and DWU1082-GS, are placed throughout the five themed zones. Zhongqing Yingye Group, a frequent partner of Christie, delivered the projectors and offered on-site technical support for this undertaking.
The five themed zones of Many Moons, Woodland Maze, Magnetic Storm, Hidden Temple, and Magnolia Renaissance represent the five fundamental energy elements of water, fire, earth, gold, and wood that can be explored at the visitors’ own speed.
To keep the projectors protected from inclement weather, they have been installed covertly among the vegetation with giant translucent screens placed up amid the trees showcasing vivid and striking visuals.
Christie’s senior director of sales for China, Enterprise, April Qin says: “By utilising a range of cutting-edge technologies such as laser projection, Oriens Lumina has delivered spectacular visuals and aesthetics that enable visitors to be fully immersed in a mythical world within a forest landscape.
“We are proud to be a part of this world-class cultural tourism project, and are grateful to Zhongqing Yingye Group for completing this landmark project with our laser projectors that are perfect for demanding high-usage outdoor applications.”
Christies will be showcasing its professional range of projectors at ISE 2023, taking place in January and February next year.
Photos: Zhongqing Yingye Group
