Iconic UN Buildings In NYC Projection-Mapped To Kick Off World Cup Program
November 8, 2022 by Dave Haynes
Projection mapping on buildings is reasonably common these days, and much easier to do because of technology advances, but it is still impressive when a very large, iconic structure becomes a digital canvas.
Earlier this fall, the United Nations headquarters in New York were illuminated by some 26 projectors to kick off a campaign celebrating the 2022 World Cup, which starts very soon in Qatar. The project was put together by Quince Imaging and 59 Productions and lit up on Sept. 17th on the General Assembly and Secretariat buildings, and the General Assembly Terrace of the UN Building.
Says the PR:
59 Productions and The Mission of Qatar hired (integrator) Quince Imaging as their image engineering experts to design and build the projection mapping system and make their vision come to life in front of the world. The project included architectural projection mapping onto all three surfaces of the UN building and managing the audio, video, and lighting needs of the VIP event held on the General Assembly Terrace.
In addition to being an international event, “Scoring for the Goals” was launched as part of the Education Summit at General Assembly Week – the most important week of the year at the UN. Having the eyes of the world on this unique projection mapping project provided the perfect opportunity for Quince Imaging to showcase its talent for providing high-quality technical image production for live events.
Quince Imaging began the setup on Monday, September 13, with the show and strike taking place on Saturday, September 17. The technology included 26 Panasonic RQ 35K projectors, four Disguise Pro vx-4 media servers, two Sony HDC 3100, and two Panasonic UEI150 4K PTZ cameras. Quince Imaging worked alongside 59 Productions, Starlite, and York Scaffolding for the execution of the project that included more than 80 crew members.
The stars of the event were the stunning image projections on three buildings of the UN Headquarters. This included a 510-foot x 78-foot image on the Secretariat building, a 55-foot x 280-foot image on the curved east façade of the General Assembly building, and an 18-foot x 32-foot image on the VIP terrace of the General Assembly building. Scaffolding and weatherproofing were also required to support the projections, servers, and playback. Executing the VIP event required audio, lighting, and staging support, along with two staffed and two robotic cameras.
The installation took place throughout the week, beginning Tuesday with the building of several platforms of assorted sizes to support the sound, lighting, and projection systems. The towers were weatherproofed, and power and cabling were provided to all spaces.
On Wednesday, 26 projectors were loaded and placed on custom-designed platforms. The Media servers were also installed, and a playback tent was built along with client review stations. Also on Wednesday, the projectionists began the initial set-up and projection alignment while the media server team fine-tuned the details to ensure a perfect display.
It was not the first time the UN building has been projection-mapped. A quick search revealed a project three years earlier, focused on climate change.
Wow, I wonder how many people could have been fed. This was very expensive… Cool ! but …