08/11/2006 - Projected Image Digital has supplied the first Element Labs' VersaPIXEL installation – featuring over 3000 point–sources of light – in the UK, at the newly opened Grosvenor Casino, on Bury New Road Manchester.
Once again, the PID team worked closely with Cadmium Design's Paula Reason and Tina Chetnik, who specified the VersaPIXELs.
Reason is well known for designing light features into her innovative architectural and interior schemes. She likes spaces to become live, interactive sources of energy as well as making a definite statement about the environment. Reason recently incorporated other Element Labs products into high profile installations at the Hard Rock Café venues in London and Barcelona and for casinos in Leicester and London.
Always keen to keep her designs moving with the times and the latest technology, Reason had wanted to utilise VersaPIXELS ever since she was inspired by watching a 'product in action' video of the massive O2 exhibition stand at CeBit.
VersaPIXEL's distributed architecture gives designers complete freedom over pixel shape and placement – including intricate 3–D arrangements – and so it was ideal for the dramatic spherical ceiling above the bar area at Bury New Road.
PID's David March arranged a product demo for Grosvenor Casino's Head of Projects Paul Taylor – hooking up 200 VersaPIXELs at PID's west London HQ. He was suitably impressed and immediately gave the project the go–ahead, got the budget signed off and placed the order.
PID co–ordinated the installation process with Leisure Installation Services (LIS), including pixel stuffing over 150 square metres of ceiling tiles that arrived with pre–cut holes, all needing to be fitted with VersaPIXELs! This task was done at the warehouse of local friends Lite Alternative, and took three people two extremely long days to complete.
The VersaPIXEL cables and driver boards were installed first, followed by the ceiling, after which the bar was constructed underneath, an operation needing tight co-ordination. Once the bar was in place, PID commissioned and programmed up the system – with every pixel firing up first time!
Two Element Labs C1 controllers drive the system, DMX triggered by the overall Crestron BMS that controls all things electrical throughout the entire building.
For content, PID collaborated with Reason and Kevin Price, who was hired by Grosvenor the client to produce content running across all the plasmas and various video surfaces. He came up with a storyboard requiring a selection of clips exuding a range of states from high energy to organic and soothing.
Over 20 bespoke video clips were created by PID. An on site 'first pass' of content was arranged for the client, from which the final selection was honed and programmed into C1s.
The venue has been open a month and the feedback and comments from everyone – staff, visitors and clientele – has been overwhelmingly positive about the VersaPIXEL feature. It's already become a local talking point, and business is currently booming.