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Watch This: projection mapping turns a 99-year-old dome into a surreal sci-fi light show

Watch This: projection mapping turns a 99-year-old dome into a surreal sci-fi light show

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Designed by legendary architect Max Berg, the Halla Stulecia in Wrocław, Poland was erected to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the 1813 war of liberation against Napoleon. Nearly a full century later, members of visual arts label AntiVJ have recontextualized Berg's 65 meter-wide concrete masterwork in O (OMICRON), a cinematic installation that paints the hall's intricate contours with the stark, pulsing lights of a futuristic starship.

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O (Omicron)
O (Omicron)

Designed by legendary architect Max Berg, the Halla Stulecia in Wrocław, Poland was erected to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the 1813 war of liberation against Napoleon. Nearly a full century later, members of visual arts label AntiVJ have recontextualized Berg's 65 meter-wide concrete masterwork in O (OMICRON), a cinematic installation that paints the hall's intricate contours with the stark, pulsing lights of a futuristic starship.

The installation utilizes hyper-precise 360-degree projection tech derived from a combination of 3D modeling software and carefully studied architectural blueprints. The group wanted to capture the sense of "timelessness" in Berg's architecture, drawing inspiration from 20th century science fiction films like Tron and Fritz Lang's Metropolis "to confront the different visions of the future at different times, we were interested in trying to create a vision of a future with no precise time reference."

The piece's insidious tone and minimalist aesthetic also echoes that of the early 20th century futurist movement, "but the use of these references was not simply formal," the group writes in a blog post. "The vision of futuristic totalitarian societies seemed to echo back real moments in the history of the building, warning us against the dangers of an idealized vision of the future."

Check the video below to see how the group went about creating the massive installation over a two year period.