Using the company’s patented, camera-based auto-alignment technology, a team from VIOSO designed and calibrated the multi-projector set-up at the heart of the first large-scale immersive art exhibition in Vietnam.

Held across 3,800m² in an indoor/outdoor exhibition space at the Gigamall shopping centre in Ho Chi Minh City, the Van Gogh Art Lighting Experience leverages AV technologies including projection mapping, virtual reality and 3D audio to shed new light on the artistic career of Vincent Van Gogh, who is represented by more than 900 works on virtual display.

The highlight of the exhibition is arguably the ‘Vincent’s Soul’ installation, which utilises large-scale video mapping to fully immerse visitors in the Dutch master’s art. This area is equipped with 70 projectors – calibrated using VIOSO 6 software and dozens of calibration cameras – which are used to create a immersive room with artworks mapped across 360° on the walls and floor.

Equally impressive technically is the ‘Vincent’s Land’ area, where the VIOSO team helped project Van Gogh’s works onto a 3D sculpture of the man himself – the first time a statue has been projection mapped in Vietnam.

“‘Here are the rooms. I want to put video content everywhere – how should we proceed?’” was the refreshingly simple brief received from the client, remembers VIOSO’s senior AV project manager, Etienne Servant, who was only too happy to be able to sprinkle some projection magic on the Van Gogh Art Lighting Experience.

He describes the process: “I handled the planning and design of the installation, including the lay-out of the projectors and cameras, media servers and signal distribution and provided the technical lay-outs to the exhibition for the installation. We then had to calibrate the projectors to achieve a seamless, perfectly warped and blended image stretching out across the full space and transferring knowledge to the client. That was when I came on site to make the magic happen: using all of these projectors to create a unique immersive atmosphere.”

Mia Nguyen, CEO of First ITC, VIOSO’s partner on the Van Gogh Art Lighting Experience, recalls the support offered by Servant and the VIOSO team, led by the company’s chief sales officer, Raul Vandenberg. “The VIOSO team answered all my questions and provided clear technical answers throughout preparation and installation process,” she says. “From plans to reality, VIOSO supported the project, both remotely and on site. In addition to the video projection, I had recommendations and help regarding audio, IT, lasers, lights, electricity… they gave me a really good overview on my planning and design so I was able to change an empty space into an immersive exhibition.”

To create the desired atmosphere in ‘Vincent’s Soul’ and ‘Vincent’s Land’ required no less than 25 calibration cameras, which Servant combined with VIOSO 6 auto-calibration software for projection mapping in the immersive room and on the Van Gogh statue. A compound of nine hardware VIOSO media servers running PIXERA handled content playback.

Although the Van Gogh Art Lighting Experience was seven years in the making, the technical team had just two months to complete the installation, in order to ensure the exhibition made its 9 December opening date. Nguyen explains: “The timing was really short, as we had to open before Christmas to give the opportunity for everyone to come during the holidays. We started the technical integration in October – that’s Vietnamese efficiency!

“As always, one of the biggest challenges was to go through customs to import the equipment, which was a real team effort from VIOSO and our side. Then, once everything was installed, we used the precious time of the VIOSO AV team to learn from them and be trained on the use of the equipment.

“From beginning to the end, it was all about timing, and that goes for everyone: the builders, the painters, and, of course, the technical team… Without a tight turnaround from Raul and his team, this deadline would have been impossible.”

Servant says it was exciting to be involved in an exhibition that marks both the largest immersive installation in Vietnam to date and the first time Vietnamese consumers could experience video mapping on a 3D sculpture. “Going to the other side of the world and transmitting knowledge to a very talented and excited team was also very motivating,” he adds.

For Van Gogh fan Nguyen, the cutting-edge projection technology underpinning the Van Gogh Art Lighting Experience is what sets it apart from previous art exhibitions held in Vietnam. “You can really immerse visitors into the universe of Van Gogh – it helps people to see how deep the paintings are,” she explains. “Van Gogh is my passion, and seeing his paintings brought to life with the immersive environment created by VIOSO is a truly unique experience.”