24 ATTRACTIONS & EXPERIENCES
would connect Europe and the US through a shared visual story. The idea was to create a live transmission between the two landmarks, but its successful execution required a quirky fusion of creative storytelling and incredibly precise AV engineering. Elena Uvarova is Pixel Artworks’ experiential production manager, and she describes the concept as both global and immediate: “In terms of the concept itself, it was very much about opening portals where the same content is seen across the globe simultaneously. “Between London and Orlando, it was about creating this viral moment that engages fans globally. Using the London Eye allowed us to speak to the European market as well, not just Orlando’s.” The result is a narrative that unfolds in the sky, where children are invited to build a LEGO spacecraft and ‘save the galaxy’. A major ingredient of this illusion’s recipe was Hologauze, a patented material developed by Holotronica. To the naked eye, it is almost imperceptible. To a camera – and crucially to a carefully aligned projection system – it becomes a luminous canvas. Uvarova quickly dispels a frequent misunderstanding when it comes to the use of this technology. “A common misconception is that the screen is hung inside the landmark we are projecting onto. That isn’t possible,” she clarifies. “It would create a huge sail structure and be dangerous in high winds. Instead, we set up a Hologauze screen in front of a camera at a specific angle to create a perspective-based illusion.” The illusion is not physically embedded in the landmark, but is constructed via the alignment of the projector, camera, gauze and environment. Hologauze is a fully silvered bobbinet fabric, designed specifically for projection-based visual
effects. Its construction gives exceptional brightness, high transparency and minimal moiré. Stuart Warren-Hill, managing director of Holotronica, is the creator of Hologauze. A musician, visual artist, technologist and inventor, his work has consistently explored the intersection of sound, image and experience. As one half of Hexstatic and co-founder of The Big Chill music festival, he was blending audio and visuals long before ‘immersive’ became an industry buzzword. In the late 2000s, while developing his 3D audio-visual project Holotronica, Warren-Hill encountered a key limitation. Traditional Pepper’s ghost systems relied on glass or foil, which were heavy, fragile and impractical for touring. So, he chose to create a new material. Hologauze’s metallic coating reflects projected light while maintaining transparency, allowing the structure behind it to remain visible. The effect is what audiences interpret as holographic. While that term is often overused, in this instance it serves a narrative purpose. “The holographic style really aligns with the campaign,” explains Uvarova. “It speaks to the futuristic, sci-fi and space theme. It’s something CGI can’t fully replicate, especially the interplay
While the visual output appeared seamless, the production realities differed in London versus Orlando
between natural light and the skyline. People want to see real content. They appreciate the craft.” TWO CITIES, TWO CHALLENGES While the final visual output appeared seamless, the production realities differed significantly in London versus Orlando. The key component London offered was space. “In London, we projected from across the river, so we had an abundance of height and width to execute the illusion properly,” Uvarova expands. Orlando, on the other hand, required tricky compromise. “Orlando was more challenging because of the smaller footprint. We also had to contend with ambient lighting. To achieve maximum transparency, the gauze has to be as dark as possible, so we box it in a dark structure to isolate external light.” Anyone who works in the visual effects space is usually pretty quick to emphasise that ambient light is their arch-enemy. Every single stray photon risks revealing the screen, flattening the depth and breaking the illusion’s exciting spell. Managing it requires both technical and logistical coordination.
Pixel Artworks used AV technology (top left) to pull off synchronised visuals at the London Eye (above) and Orlando Eye
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