BLACKPOOL, U.K. — The Blackpool Tower, which opened in 1894, was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which opened five years earlier. While not as famous or as tall (518 vs. 986 feet), the Blackpool Tower has still drawn its share of visitors to this U.K. seaside resort, and will continue to do so during the Blackpool Illuminations event set for Sept. 4-Nov. 8, 2015, when the large red brick building concealing the base of the tower is transformed by a large-format mapped video projection with video content provided by The Projection Studio, led by Ross Ashton.
More details from The Projection Studio (www.theprojectionstudio.com):
London based creative projection specialist, The Projection Studio, led by Ross Ashton and collaborating with Edinburgh based War Productions, has won a competitive bid to create a spectacular mapped video projection to be projected onto the facade of Blackpool’s famous tower … as part of the city’s 2015 Illuminations.
Projection Studio will be producing all the creative content for the LightPool project, while Alistair Young and War Productions will design the projection system and hardware set up. The two companies have previously worked together on Ross and artist Maria Ruud’s AniMotion live painting / projection performances in Scotland.
LightPool will be the first semi-permanent projection mapping project in the UK and also the first time that the large red brick building concealing the base of the 158 meter tower — built in 1894 and still one of the most iconic buildings in the UK — has been used as a projection surface.
Projection Studio won the bid — put out to tender by Blackpool City Council — against stiff competition.
Ross and his team were chosen for their artistic credentials and the strength of their creative concepts which will see a radical transformation of Blackpool’s Illuminations this year.
They also impressed the selection panel with also their extensive experience in producing mapped projection shows onto other high profile buildings worldwide.
Ross commented, “I am delighted to win this commission. Blackpool, Illuminations are one of the oldest and most original ‘festivals of light’, so being asked able to produce something completely new in a city renowned for pushing the boundaries of light art … is very exciting”.
The work will be created in conjunction with Blackpool Illuminations, the Arts Department of Blackpool Council and arts organisation Left Coast who are also delivering a number of other installations around the town for the 2015 Illuminations.
Full details of the project are under wraps until the opening night … but Ross can reveal that eight Panasonic 17K projectors will constitute the hardware and that the results will be super bight and highly visible amidst all the other attractions.
The projectors will also be rigged so they can be easily struck during the daylight hours … and then reinstated for the next evening’s show.
Taking the illuminations to new levels of interest and presentation with the two 10 minute Tower base mapped projection shows is all part of the ongoing goal of attracting 2.5 million additional visitors to the city over the Illumination period which is switched on … on 4th September.
