Bulgari maps iconic Dubai Gate with ‘serpentine makeover’

Italian luxury fashion house Bulgari turned to Digital Projection’s TITAN and M-Vision range to give Dubai’s iconic Gate building a ‘serpentine makeover’ in celebration of the 75th anniversary of its Serpenti collection.

The snake emblem has adorned most Bulgari watches and piece of jewellery, and the Italian company decided to mark the anniversary with the Serpenti: 75 Years of Infinite Tales world tour.

At the heart of the event, which was held at the Dubai International Financial Centre’s Gate building, was an immersive projection mapping show, implemented by local company Artabesk.

Mounir Harbaoui, managing director of Artabesk, says: “Our aim for this projection mapping show was straightforward: to give the audience a total luxury experience, leaving a lasting impact.

He specified 10 Digital Projection TITAN Laser 37000 WU three-chip DLP projectors, complemented by eight one-chip DLP M-Vision 23000 WU projectors to turn the 72m-high and 66m-wide Gate into a monumental canvas.
 
Artabesk double stacked the single-chip DLP M-Vision laser projectors in order to reach similar brightness levels as one TITAN 37000. The Colorboost+Red Laser technology built into the M-Vision meant the colour reproduction was closer to that of a three-chip projector than was previously possible.

“We didn’t have enough TITAN 37000 projectors, so we decided to double stack the M-Vision 23000 WUs, which was straightforward thanks to their integrated stacking mechanism, meaning we didn’t have to use any additional rigging frames,” says Harbaoui.

“Once we stacked the projectors, we aligned them and adjusted the brightness with the help of our media server.”
 
The projectors had to perform in harsh weather conditions, running every night for over a week in 80% humidity. They also needed to contend with high levels of ambient light. “Light pollution always affects projection mapping shows, which is why we opted for the Digital Projection TITAN projectors,” says Harbaoui.

“We asked the surrounding venues to try and reduce the light around the Gate, and even though there was still a significant amount of light pollution, we anticipated this challenge and were ready for it with the bright TITAN projectors.”
 
Artabesk chose a Dataton WATCHOUT media server to deliver the video content for Serpenti: 75 Years of Infinite Tales. The video content was produced by Artabesk’s creative team, which developed a detailed storyboard in collaboration with the Bulgari to interpret Serpenti’s metamorphosis over the years.
 
Matt Horwood, Digital Projection’s director of sales for EMEA, says: “Artabesk’s choice to rely on our TITAN and M-Vision laser projectors is a testament to our commitment to delivering exceptional quality and performance.”