Panasonic Connect, a leading audiovisual technology provider, is celebrating an upcoming event in Jordan, the Petra Light Festival, which takes place from 23 April to 3 May 2023. The festival will transform Petra into a kaleidoscope of light, music, and ideas, bringing together creativity, innovation, and technology.
The aim of the festival, which is produced by AndreiVisuals and iJordan and held in partnership with the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority, is to capture the uniqueness, vibrancy, creativity, and history of the UNESCO World Heritage site and position it as a creative hub for Jordan.
Illuminating a national treasure
“It’s such an honor for us, Panasonic Connect, to be behind the great success by providing from tech consult to operations to bring many landmarks worldwide to life through our projection mapping technologies with our unparalleled products like the Colosseum in Rome, Casa Batlló in Barcelona, and others,” says Chad Kunimoto, global business development manager, themed entertainment & immersive experiences at Panasonic Connect
“For this time, we are truly excited to be part of this amazing project at Petra, one of 7 Wonders, Jordan’s national treasures and by far its best-known tourist attraction in the world. Through our projection technology, I can’t imagine how incredibly amazing to seamlessly blend this miraculous archaeological site with many glorious and unique contents from many high-class artists from all over the world.”
During the 11-day festival, guests will arrive after dark for a magical walk along the Siq, illuminated through a myriad of different sights, sounds and smells, before entering the open space in front of the majestic Treasury, where they will watch a stunning 3D projection-mapped show on its façade.
The heart of the Festival is a global open call for the participation of large 3D mapping projection art from local and international artists. Participating 3D visual artists for this year’s Petra Light Festival include:
- “Birth of Light” by Andrei Visuals, Jordan
- “Petra, AI whispers of the ancients” by Ouchhh, Turkey
- “RE-VISION” by Maxin10sity, Hungary
- “HARMONIA FUTURA” by Jeremie Bellot (AV extended), France
- “Romance Dawn” by The Fox, The Folks, Indonesia
- “RESURREXI” by Leandro Summo, Italy
- “Alba” by Inzist, Spain
- “Aurum” by Luca Agnani, Italy
- “Seasons of Human Spirit” by Kanaka Studio, Italy
Jordan’s first digital art festival
This first digital art festival in Jordan aims to reposition Petra as the crossroad of civilisations, with global significance, while also celebrating its people, culture, and heritage.
Speaking about his reasons for getting involved, Emad Al Rabadi, owner of R.B Event Technology, says:
“One of the main reasons why I took part in initiating this amazing project is because I believe in technology and how it has an impact on our daily experiences. This knowledge is power and power should be put into something meaningful, and I chose to dedicate the knowledge and technology I have in reflecting the beauty of my beloved country, Jordan.
“Petra, by itself, is a masterpiece that stands tall with its prideful expressions. As an experience designer, I hold all the pride in reflecting the beauty of our beloved heritage in the most sophisticated way. Having different international artists participating in this event will only make the experience much more pleasant. The idea of different perspectives for the same mold is in itself very thrilling.
“I believe one of the greatest reasons why humans are interesting is having the ability to self-express. We have an artistic side that enables us to perceive and create beauty. For that, I yearn to create something that is very beautiful and be able to share it with so many different people from all over the globe.”
Sharing the magic of Petra
On what he expects from the event, he adds:
“Thinking of this only brought to my attention how many drawings, emails, phone calls, site visits, and analysis were put in to actually get this close to making this dream come true. Having said that, my expectations grew exponentially since the day we started thinking about the project, but the most important one for me is to meet with people who share the same perception about technology, art, and beauty. It is always nice to have fruitful conversations with people and artists about wild thoughts and concepts.
“For that, I am hoping to meet with so many different people with different perspectives and doing collaborations in the future. Moreover, I desire to let people from all over the world know that there is a very unique place called Petra, that exists in Jordan.
“My next challenge or as I like to call it journey would be letting people know that there is this kind of technology and knowledge that exists in the middle east and specifically in Jordan. The middle east is a rich region in terms of ancient relics, I wish the Petra Light Festival would be the ignition of a series of Light Festivals all over the middle east region. Who knows, but Al–Ula City (Saudi Arabia) or the Pyramids of Egypt are very nice destinations.”
Bringing stories to life with non-intrusive tech
Andrei Snobar, founder & art director at Andrei Visuals, says:
“Andrei Visuals, the visionary artist studio based in Amman, Jordan, not only created Petra Light Festival but also designed and produced the opening show titled “Birth of Light” for the event. The “Birth of Light” show, crafted by the diverse talents of architects, visual artists, musicians, and technical experts at Andrei Visuals, served as a mesmerizing introduction to the Petra Light Festival, setting the stage for the awe-inspiring displays of light and art that followed.
“Our aim is to honor and celebrate the rich civilization of the Nabateans by inviting visitors to discover their legacy. The festival departs from popular perceptions of their historical story and focuses instead on their culture, rituals and enlightenment to the world. With the non-intrusive 3D projection mapping technology, we bring these stories to life, elevating the architectural reality of the Treasury.”
Panasonic tech transforms Petra
Francois Yadi, business development manager for Panasonic Marketing Middle East and Africa (PMMAF), explains why PMMAF wanted to support the festival:
“We wanted to create something that is very creative, innovative, and new to Jordan’s market experience, so we supported our partner to use our technology to transform Petra, one of the seven wonders of the world, into something visually stunning and immersive, and not to forget it will be the first time that Petra will be alive and interactive through the Projection Mapping Technology. The event uses eight Panasonic RZ34 projectors.
“We enjoyed working on creative projects and we want to be part of a team that is pushing the boundaries of what is possible, then supporting a projection mapping project can be a great way to do that. We supported our client with a variety of advanced technologies including specialized projectors, software, and mapping tools that helped us to gain more experience in working on such a great opportunity and deliver a high-standard quality project.
“Projection mapping projects can have a big impact on the people who experience them, the challenges we faced is how to bring all the parties into the same understanding and how to make this project alive!”
Panasonic Connect’s projection solutions have been used to support immersive experiences at the likes of AREA15, Illuminarium, Bylo Nebylo, the National Museum in Prague, The Velázquez Tech Museum and many more.
