Digital Projection on board Oslo attraction
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Drawing visitors from all over the globe, the museum sought to upgrade its offering in 2018 to provide a world-class, immersive experience – turning to UK-based specialist visitor attraction AV integrator Sarner International to lead the ambitious and complex installation project.
With the objective of making visitors feel a part of an arctic adventure, immersive audio and projection were to take centre stage in the renovation. However, the challenge was how to go about delivering this – introducing AV, lighting and multimedia technology without damaging the authenticity and integrity of the vessel – which is a huge draw in itself.
Sarner turned to Mike Ross, director and founder of BlueBox Technology Solutions, bringing him on board as AV consultant to support the delivery of the project end to end. Drawing on over 15 years of experience on installation projects of a similar standing all over the world, Mike turned to host of trusted suppliers, including 7thSense Design, a multi-award winning specialist software and hardware company for media servers; Ohm, manufacturer of custom and high quality loudspeakers; and Digital Projection, whose products were up to the rigours of the job.
Ross expands: “The vessel itself sits in a unique triangular building with tiers of walkways providing optics to three sides of the ship. We decided to use the interior walls of the building as a canvas for projections depicting arctic conditions, whilst also bringing the boat itself back to life with atmospheric visuals and sound. And of course, the crown jewel of the museum upgrade is the multichannel projection system that goes all the way around the boat.”
To bring the concept to life, 10x Digital Projection E-Vision Laser 10K projectors were custom-mounted to create a glacial backdrop so that visitors feel completely surrounded when on the deck of the ship – each delicately positioned by BlueBox in order to project at the perfect angle and protect the beam whilst circumnavigating the obstacles on board the ship.
The E-Vision Laser 10K range is a single-chip DLP projector delivering 10,500 lumens and capable of producing over 20,000 hours of constant illumination with virtually no maintenance. Designed for professional venues and visitor attractions which contend with ambient light such as the Fram Museum, its brightness carries the content to the audience with saturated colours, bright imagery and dark area detail. Running costs are kept to a minimum as regular lamp replacement is bypassed by the solid state illumination system – resulting in a much lower total cost of ownership.
Powering the AV engine room at Fram are 7thSense’s media servers. For the wall display, a single 7thSense Delta Infinity media drives a 15-minute sequence of 270-degree content which takes visitors on a journey through arctic conditions culminating in a violent storm and the boat’s eventual stall as it freezes in pack ice.
The engine room of the Fram vessel now also houses a Digital Projection E-Vision Laser 6500 projector which relays footage on how its engine worked. “The museum wanted to make the engine work again which wasn’t possible in this setting, but we were able to bring it to life thanks to projection and light” notes Ross.
Reflecting on the innovative but sensitive treatment of the upgrade, 7thSense Design’s technical director Richard Brown says: “This has been a beautifully executed project by all stakeholders and in particular Sarner and BlueBox Technology Solutions who have expertly selected technologies that would perfectly complement the attraction. We’re delighted that our products have been used to bring something with so much history and cultural importance to life.”
(Jim Evans)
