The challenge

As the Covid-19 situation affected all walks of life, leading projection mapping specialists Motion Mapping were commissioned by ESP to bring their creative flair to the UK capital. Following work with local hospitals and the NHS, Motion Mapping were tasked with bringing images to The Houses of Parliament – lighting up Westminster in appreciation of International Nurses Day and the 200th anniversary of Crimean War heroine, Florence Nightingale.

Projecting onto the iconic Parliament building on the banks of the River Thames, which boasts a 900-year old history, required some heavy-duty hardware and a high degree of technical know-how, led by Motion Mapping MD Stuart Harris.

The solution

Due to its bankside location, the only way to create a large and bright enough image on the Parliament building was to project from the South Bank, across the width of the Thames itself - around 260m from the intended canvas.

Motion Mapping opted for four Panasonic RZ31 projectors with long throw lenses, boasting 30k lumens each, to provide the necessary brightness, with images fed from Green Hippo Amba media servers and Datapath Fx4s for seamless blending of images across the entire side of the building. With only 50 minutes to set up and get the projections ready for the press, Motion Mapping knew that the reliability of the Fx4's was one thing they didn't need to worry about in the high pressure situation.

A key component for Motion Mapping staff was the Nespresso coffee machine, which kept Stuart and his team fuelled on-site long after the sun went down!

Astera lights were used as uplighters as they deliver wireless, battery powered portability.

The result

The visual result from Motion Mapping's efforts was seen by TV media around the world, and was a fitting testament to the UK's nurses and, indeed, all NHS workers and carers who have faced the adversity of the Covid 19 crisis.

The below video conveys the impact better than words ever could, but the last word goes to Stuart Harris who said: "It was a genuine honour and privilege to do this work for NHS England. The efforts from their staff, and all those who have helped to fight COVID-19, cannot be overstated and we were happy to help provide the recognition they deserve."

He adds: "Technically, the project ran like a dream. This is no real surprise as we have used this tried and trusted kit for years. Datapath's Fx4 controllers have never let us down and played a key part in another terrific large-scale project."

Adam Marsden, UK Sales manager for Datapath, said: "We are delighted to see Motion Mapping, once again, using their creativity to spotlight the great work of our NHS in such a stunning way. They are great guys to work with and we look forward to working with them in the future, with more exciting projects on the horizon."

Kit list

Panasonic RZ31 projectors

Green Hippo Amba media servers

Datapath Fx4 display controllers

Astera wireless lighting