Showing the NHS Support Through Projection Mapping

With the majority of the country being told to stay at home and self-isolate, it is important to remember those who cannot stay at home during this time and are on the frontline combating the coronavirus that has brought the world to a standstill.

Planes have been grounded, towns and cities deserted and yet there are still heroes out there turning up to work every day, as our NHS workforce work around the clock completing back to back shifts, caring and tending to those who need them.

To support those who are continuing to turn up to work for us during what is the most disruptive and powerful pandemic in decades, some AV companies have turned to guerrilla marketing to show their support for NHS staff. Motion Mapping are a fine example of an AV company spreading joy during this crisis, they projected on the side of Ipswich Hospital for the rainbow trail, transforming the side of the Garrett Anderson Centre into a colourful rainbow filled with flowers and butterflies.

“We incorporated the Rainbow Trail hashtag which is being used at the moment to show kids that things will get better after the storm. Having a 6-year-old myself, I wanted to get involved and what better way than to do that than with projection. My son Jake also had input into the content we created, so it’s been a large-scale art project for him too.” says Stuart Harris, projection specialist and owner/director, Motion Mapping.

The current pandemic is affecting every industry , however, a lot of installers and event focused AV companies are finding themselves having to be more creative. Take Motion Mapping for example, they took their equipment and used it to spread joy and support for the NHS staff who are working hard to save lives and contain the spread of the virus.

“A lot of other industries are adapting and helping fight the virus using their skill sets,” says Stuart Harris, projection specialist and owner/director, Motion Mapping. “Projection mapping is limited in what we can adapt it to functionally, so we thought we would help by creating an uplifting projection to say thank you to all those working on the front line for what they do for us, especially now. We really enjoy doing the guerrilla-style, large format projections and wanted to contribute towards keeping spirits up in the best way we know how.”

The government enforced lockdown has restricted Motion Mapping on their other plans to project onto more hospitals in Suffolk and celebrate the staff inside. “Instead, we are looking at making videos public, so anyone who has a projector or TV can start getting creative with them in their homes,” adds Harris.

This projection was created using a sustainable LPG inverter generator to power the Epson EB-1755U projector with a LM11 long throw lens, with MadMapper powering the mapping. The content was using After Effect and Cinema 4D software.

What is projection mapping?

Projection mapping is used to transform any 3D shape or surface, into an engaging display. Some of the results are breath-taking and create incredible visual experiences.

Instead of projecting onto a flat projection screen, everyday projectors are used to map onto any surface, turning common objects into part of an interactive display. Regardless of shape, any object can be used are part of a projection mapping display.

If you are interested in projection mapping, contact your Midwich account manager and find out more about how we can assist you.