Innsbruck marketing projections web res-0656
27 December 2024
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Post originally written in: Deutsch Information An automatic machine translation. Super fast and almost perfect.

Innsbruck's historic building facades are transformed into colorful works of art at the turn of the year. Façade mapping on New Year's Eve turns a stroll through the city into an immersive light experience. Enchanting creations shine on buildings and bathe the city in magical light. You can find out more about façade mapping in this interview with curator Bettina Pelz.

For all those who don't (yet) know it: Facade mapping - what does it mean?

Bettina Pelz: The façade acts as a coordinate system for the projections. We developed 2D and 3D models of the façade in advance. The artists used these to create their compositions; each façade takes several weeks to get every pixel in place. We are now working on transporting the artists' ideas from the computer into the urban space as accurately as possible.

Like in the middle

In addition to the Hofburg, St. Jakob Cathedral and the city tower, the Maria Hilf row of houses will also be illuminated. Why these places in particular?

Pelz: The Hofburg, St. Jakob's Cathedral and the historic row of houses on the banks of the Inn are among Innsbruck's landmarks. They can be seen from a distance and at the same time the audience can get very close to the façade everywhere - an ideal prerequisite for large-format projections. They are fascinating from a distance and the image impression will be immersive directly in front of the very large projection surfaces.

How did places and artists come together?

Pelz: As a curator, I know a lot of artists, I know their working methods and the associated possibilities and requirements. I put together a list of proposals, then there is a kind of negotiation process: I talk to the artists about possible ideas, I discuss the technical options and possible obstacles with the technicians. And with the local team, we think about infrastructure and security - that's what happened in Innsbruck. The result is the synchronization of the conditions and the best possible solutions for the specific situations.

Facade mapping deluxe

That sounds very technical to the layman ...

Pelz:...yes, but it's a really exciting process and a great team effort. For example, we have two new productions for the extraordinary façades of the Hofburg by Hartung Trenz and the Mariahilf row of houses by François Schwamborn. And the detailed projection on the cathedral also interweaves fantastically with the architecture.

What do the individual artists tell us and how do they "play" together?

Pelz: We see three very different approaches: Hartung Trenz's motif is the flow of life, her building blocks are letters and signs in historical and contemporary designs. François Schwamborn experiments with artificial organisms that cover the façades like algae, lichen or mycelium. Filip Roca focuses on light particles that embody temporal dynamics. Each production has its own elementary particle and shows these in complex systems and dynamics.
The New Year's Eve project with Kurt Laurenz Theinert will be a highlight. For the last hours of the year, he will transform the party sounds live into light images. Using the visual piano, he will modulate colors and shapes, movement patterns and dynamics - a real feast for the eyes.

Image-sound composition

The 3D light installations are accompanied by sound installations. Can you tell us a little more about it?

Pelz: Part of all projects are the soundscapes, which are developed in close cooperation between the visual artists and the makers of the soundtrack. They are characterized by unusual combinations: Timber Hemprich at the Hofburg mixes overtone singing and electronic sounds. Florian Schwamborn on the Mariahilf façades meanders between classical composition, jazz and new music. Zarko Komar collages selected material from the variety of contemporary formats - from jazz to new electronic styles. They all create extraordinary soundscapes in which the visuals are embedded. The following applies to all of them: it is worth seeing the projects once and listening to them once with your eyes closed.

What do you personally find particularly exciting about the artistic debates?

Pelz: Every project is always a process in which the location, the technology and the artistic ideas grow together. Everyone is involved in shaping this negotiation and if it goes well, there are projects that integrate perfectly into their spatial and atmospheric surroundings. I am very happy to see how this interplay can be shaped and if it can be perfectly orchestrated!

Darkness as a partner

Can you also give us a look behind the scenes? What technical equipment is needed to realize these light installations?

Pelz: This is actually also a very interesting topic: we use energy-efficient, high-intensity projectors that are networked with each other to create these large-format images. In preparation, each image composition is broken down into parts, which are then converted for the façade and seamlessly reassembled on the façade. To support the impression of colors and 3D shapes, we reduce the ambient light. Darkness is the best canvas for such large projection fields.

How long did the preparation time take?

Pelz: We are using more technology than in previous years, so we have to set up now before Christmas so that we can all be with friends and families at Christmas. We'll be on site on Boxing Day so that everything is up and running by December 29.

Great interaction

What did you have to pay particular attention to, what might have been particularly challenging, tricky?

Pelz: More technology also means more weather protection containers that have to be placed somewhere and longer cable routes - but everything found a solution. Here in Innsbruck, we met an experienced team that quickly understood the many large and small aspects of the preparations and was able to solve almost all tasks or problems very quickly - it was a real pleasure to work with them.

Information about the Innsbruck Mountain Silvester

All information about the Innsbruck Bergsilvester can be found here.

Cover picture @ Innsbruck Tourismus

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