In 2017, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched JAPAN HOUSE, a worldwide initiative to foster international awareness and appreciation for Japanese culture. JAPAN HOUSE has three locations: London, Los Angeles, and Sao Paolo. This past autumn, JAPAN HOUSE LOS ANGELES launched the world debut of the exhibition, BAKERU: Transforming Spirits, which allowed visitors to step into the supernatural world of Japanese folk traditions through interactive projections.
Japanese creative art and design studio, WOW, designed an immersive environment where guests could transform into projected characters and participate in several festival scenes known in the Tohoku region of Japan. ClearTech Media, a leader in delivering collaborative technology solutions, collaborated with Panasonic to complete the technological integration and installation of BAKERU.
WOW created four large projections to activate contemporary technology to enhance the understanding of traditional Japanese culture. Using Microsoft Kinect and its dynamic aggregating sensor, movements were captured in real time as participants transformed into projected scenes. “One of the important components of this installation is the sense of immersion,” says Kaoru Kudo, visual art director at WOW. “The Panasonic projectors play the most crucial role which is to send images of the visitors without delay, beautifully and consistently throughout a long exhibition period.”
Since the exhibition was held for long hours over consecutive months, Panasonic’s PT-RZ870 Series projectors and ET-DLE085 and ET-DLE035 lenses were selected for their consistent performance with low maintenance. The PT-RZ870 paired with ETDLE085 and ET-DLE035 lenses made it possible to vary the projection distance by changing the focal distance. The ET-DLE035 lenses, which enable large-screen projection from a short distance, created images that were about 15'x11' high onto a long white wall.
“Panasonic is a trusted manufacturer for Cleartech,” says Max Brown, account manager at ClearTech. “Its projectors have excellent short throw distance and zero distortion lens options.”