Immersive pop-up digital art installations on tour in the San Francisco Bay area

This spring, the Immersive Arts Alliance toured in San Francisco and Oakland with Barco projectors and audio equipment, displaying works of light art by six Bay Area artists as part of our newest project, the Mobile Light Art Station. 

Context

The Mobile Light Art Station, owned and operated by the non-profit Immersive Arts Alliance, is a free, outdoor display of works of light art by six Bay Area artists. The Station, equipped with Barco projectors, travels to different locations in the neighborhood to beam the cutting-edge works onto historic buildings.

A wide range of community partners make each stop unique, adding music, dance, spoken word, and even an open-air dance party to the display.

The first stop of the Mobile Light Art Station took place in downtown Oakland, on what became known as "The Great Wall of Oakland". The Station then moved to Boeddeker Park in San Francisco's Tenderloin, before returning to the site of the former Esther's Orbit Room in Oakland again.

Challenge

The artists’ experimental work explores a meeting point of the human enterprise and the natural world with whimsical and dystopian themes. The large-scale video projections aimed at full immersion and dynamic storytelling.

In addition, the travelling nature of the exhibition brought with it additional challenges for the IAA team. The multiple set-ups, transports and breakdowns in a short timeframe demand a lot from the AV equipment in terms of flexibility and reliability.

Solution

The Barco UDX flagship projection range ticked all the boxes. Offering 4K UHD resolution and 37,500 lumens light output, these three-chip laser phosphor models ensure flawless visual shows.

Clark Suprynowicz, IAA’s Executive Director, comments on his satisfaction with the quality of the projectors saying that “with razor-sharp clarity and stunning colors, the Barco projectors delivered the visual poetry incomparably, honoring the visions of the artists."

What’s more, despite the tight touring schedules and demanding conditions, the UDX performed excellently while also reducing the amount of time needed for setup thanks to their rugged and compact design.

Results

In the end, the pop-up digital art experiences were well received in the different districts with locals, city representatives and event organizers. By utilizing the projections, the Mobile Light Art Station found a way to make a home for art and imagination in urban surroundings.

Oakland mayor Sheng Thao was pleased to see how “the work of the Oakland artists presented in the Mobile Light Art Station reminds us of the way art and artists can pull a community together, filling our streets with imagination and beauty.”