FEATURES: INSTALLATION
The right way
A projector refresh at the Theatre of Digital Art in Dubai has taken its immersive art exhibits to new heights THERE HAS BEEN AN EXPLOSION IN THE USE OF DIGITAL art in recent years as the technology required to power such exhibits has finally caught up with the high expectations and requirements set by designers and artists. Since the start of the pandemic, two such world-class exhibits have opened up in Dubai for residents to explore, and the trend looks set to explode further as people seek out interesting new entertainment spots following nearly a year of little to no fun. To meet this desire, the Theatre of Digital Art (ToDA) has opened its doors to visitors at Souk Madinat Jumeirah, close to the Mall of the Emirates. While the scale of ToDA may be quite humble in contrast to other attractions Dubai has on offer, it nevertheless packs in a lot of impressive visual equipment in order to bring static artworks to life. A recent projector refresh has also given the venue a brand-new shine. The ToDA space combines three formats of digital art spread over 1,800m2 of space, including multimedia exhibitions, contemporary immersive installations and art in virtual reality. The main focus is on the digital display of classical works, brought to life in combination with music, visual and surround sound effects, with the inaugural exhibition showcasing the works of nine celebrated artists. There are several sections to explore – traditional and classical art exhibitions, a contemporary digital art zone, hands-on exhibits for children and a virtual reality area. “Previously, the main auditorium space was a traditional theatre where you could watch a ballet or dance recital,” explains ToDA general manager, Gabriel Afrim. “We have completely transformed it into a digital space. When you enter the room, visitors are immersed into the environment via giant imagery covering the walls and ceiling. They’re completely enveloped in the artwork from all angles.” In order to accomplish this sense of immersion, the quality of the visuals is paramount, and something the ToDA management felt was lacking at its initial launch. Originally, the team opted for a “go it alone” approach, striving to get doors open for visitors as soon as possible after pandemic restrictions started to ease.
ToDA can host a variety of other events for clients “We started off with different projectors – ones we had bought and installed ourselves,” recalls Afrim. “Even though our customers were appreciative of the experience from day one, the technical team, owners and investors all wanted to create the absolute best environment possible. Because of this, we made the decision to fully replace our initial projector infrastructure.” Starting over gave the team a chance to revisit things from a different perspective while drawing on the expertise of the industry’s biggest providers. “We started reaching out to companies for the best solutions available,” the general manager continues. “All of the big manufacturers came to us with proposals for the project. We sent them our requirements and asked to see their best models. We then started assessing the best options. It was a very close competition.” After first whittling the selection down to two preferred brands, more detailed studies were completed to assess which would work best for ToDA’s purposes. “We were working closely with two main companies, and they were showing us their best
products. This was very important to us because we are working with art – they’re paintings, the colour is massively important and we wanted to showcase customers the best possible picture. When we tried out Epson’s models, there was a huge difference in the picture quality. It wasn’t that the other solutions were bad, but there was something special about the Epson models in their colour. When considering this specific point, they really stood out.” Perhaps this is no surprise given the popularity of Epson’s trademark 3LCD technology, which has always been pitted head-to-head from a technological standpoint with the 3DLP technique used in many other manufacturers’ models. “The other important benefits were the size of Epson’s projectors – which are much more compact – as well as the lower running noise. These were both very important to the installation process, and putting all of this together ended up making our decision quite easy.” To further cement ToDA’s decision, Epson provided a design for the projectors that went above and beyond. “We provided their team with a 3D model of our space and they came back to us with a complete recommendation,” the GM adds. The old auditorium is now home to the ToDA main gallery – a 40m x 20m space extending all the way up to a height of 12m. The visuals are beamed from more than 30 Epson projectors mounted from the walls and ceiling surrounding the room, including six of the manufacturer’s flagship 15,000-lumen EB-L1755U projectors, 10 EB-L1495U 9,000-lumen WUXGA laser projectors, two EB-L1505UHs, eight ELPLW08s, four ELPLU03s and finally four ELPLU04s. The visuals delivered to the projectors come from a Dataton Watchout media sever. One other previously unappreciated element for Afrim was the attention to detail given by both the manufacturer and its local distributor, NMK Electronics. “This was something that I wasn’t expecting but was really appreciated. We ended up feeling like we were all one big team, like colleagues. Abdulla from Epson, and Dino and Alex from NMK were all instrumental in helping us to achieve our aims.” While Afrim’s projector expectations were more than usurped by Epson’s flagship models, the manufacturer is also now able to boast a class-leading digital theatre among its reference projects in the Middle East – an increasingly key market for the brand.
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