A video mapping titled ‘The First Life’, designed and directed by Amir-Reza Salari, was recently displayed on the College of Fine Arts building at the Tehran University’s Department of Architecture.
The art project thematized ‘Birds and Roc’s Secret’ was on show for two nights (Nov. 15-16) on the eastern side of the building, Mehr News Agency reported.
Video mapping, also known as projection mapping and spatial augmented reality, is a projection technology used to turn objects, often irregularly shaped, into a display surface for video projection, said Salari.
“By using specialized software, a two or three-dimensional object is spatially mapped on the virtual program which mimics the real environment it is to be projected on.”
The project was inspired by ancient Iranian motifs and contemporary art, mostly featuring birds printed on potsherds and ceramic potteries, found during excavations in the Tall-i Bakun region in Fars Province.
The technique is used by artists and advertisers alike to add extra dimensions, optical illusions, and notions of movement onto previously static objects. “The building is used as a canvas, featuring the art which is formed through fitting the projected pictures on the architectural curves and edges of the building.”
After long studies on the project, renowned documentary film maker and director, Mohammadreza Aslani, wrote a script for the video mapping, based on verses of the Holy Qur’an and celebrated ancient Persian poets. “The required equipment was provided by a Japanese company,” Salari added.
He noted that video mapping is an interdisciplinary field, combining architecture, cinema, music, graphics and even performance.
Old Technique
Although the term projection mapping is relatively new, the technique dates back to the late 1960s, where it was referred to as video mapping, special augmented reality, or shader lamps. One of the first public displays of projections onto 3D objects was debuted in 1969, when Disneyland opened their ‘Haunted Mansion’ ride.
The next record of projection mapping is from 1980, when installation artist Michael Naimark filmed people interacting with objects in a living room and then projected it in the room, creating illusions as if the people interacting with the objects were really there.
The first time the concept of projection mapping was investigated academically was at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the late 1990s, where scholars worked on a project called ‘Office of the Future’ to connect offices from different locations by projecting people into the office space.
By 2001, more artists began using projection mapping in artwork, and groups such as Microsoft began experimenting with it as a means of technological advancement.
