Projects: Book Comes To Life In Silicon Valley Mall Display

August 20, 2015 by Dave Haynes

Speciality display maker Volanti Displays, based just south of Silicon Valley, teamed up recently with a nearby luxe shopping mall – Westfield Valley Fair – on a very different digital window used to promote the Michael Kors fashion line.

The base idea was to borrow on the set-up of a shop window, but pull it into the middle of the mall and give it a technology twist. “Adding digital displays as part of the retail window designs is not an entirely new idea,” explains Billy Barnes, Art Director for Volanti Displays. “But what we set out to do was to take it to a whole new level, where the video displays actually became part of the overall creative aesthetic, not just simply mounted on a wall inside the window space.”

The custom-fabricated display features a mannequin wearing Michael Kors clothing, along with a large video display in a styled book effect enclosure that rests neatly on a pyramid of various books. The book shows the pages of a catalogue as they turn from cover to cover.

“Valley Fair Center lies at the heart of Silicon Valley, a globally known hotspot for innovation and creativity, and I wanted to create something that directly reflected that,” adds Barnes. “The idea of a book magically coming to life while elements of nature seem to be growing out of its very pages came from a dream I recently experienced. The tricky part of the vision was how to properly bring it to life. I used a series of papier mache’ techniques to construct the actual book ‘casing’ and then embedded one of our more popular 24? HD displays inside it. The display and components are designed for 24/7 use while leaving a light footprint.”

Along with various books that make up the pyramid, Volanti says its designers also created several book sculptures at the foot of the display. “I wanted to add a variety of artistic elements that guests could look at,” explains Barnes. “I wanted to use books to create actual art pieces with while giving the vitrine a complete 360 degree viewing angle. I felt it was important for guests approaching from the back of the vitrine to see something that was just as engaging as the front.”

Nicely done!