One World Observatory wanted to celebrate the grand opening by finding unique ways to activate their space. For maximum impact, we designed a real time data visualization that took over the entire wall entrance. Our projection mapped visualization celebrates the diversity and pinpoints the distance people have traveled to visit this monumental observatory.
Project goals:
The biggest challenge I gave myself was learning Cinema 4D to create the design. I did this because the visuals were going to be very complex to build in photoshop and it needed to make sure what I designed could also be created via generative graphics.
Cinema 4D allowed me to build the density and height of the pins in the same way our developer would build them. I taught myself how to make depth maps in order to lift certain areas to create the continents and determine what ripples looked like.
Another benefit to using C4d is lighting a scene using ambient occlusion. This lighting technique allows for realistic lighting and shadow and gives the work a much more 3-dimentional feel. Using a low polygon count for the ocean shares visual similarities to the faceted look from the OWO brand.
Graphics were created in Cinema 4d, After Effects, and composited in Photoshop. The black area represents a hallway. Click images for larger detail:
While designing the visuals, I also created animated mockups of the design. I learned I should slow animations down because they could have a higher risk of inducing motion sickness at this large scale.
These first animations are tests for the stat ribbon. Stats update in real time based on live data being collected when tickets are scanned. I animated two directions; One with lots of complex movement and a second that is much more restrained. This allows our developers to start building the simpler version and add in additional flair if there is time.
Once tickets are scanned, country of origin labels will populate on the map. Some animation concepts transition on at a harsh angle as a way to continue the faceted design language.
Along with the main projection, I also animated the Welcome Wall (area above the hallway) that greets visitors in a variety of foreign languages. These languages update in real time based on where people are visiting from. To continue with the OWO faceted design language, angular shapes and sharp shines reveal and hide images as a transitional approach.
With over 65 feet of visuals, using an array of 16 projectors, seeing visitors from over 100 countries, the observatory celebrated it’s 1 millionth visitor after four months of being open.
