This is the documentation of an architectural projection mapping I did at Egoli Gas on 1 October 2014.
This site-specific projection explores themes of Johannesburg as a city, as a machine, danger, power, history and consumerism. There is a dialogue between the animations and the disused building.
This site-specific projection explores themes of Johannesburg as a city, as a machine, danger, power, history and consumerism. There is a dialogue between the animations and the disused building.
The title Illuminocity plays on the words "illuminate", "lumen" (what the brightness of a projector is measured in), and "city" (refering to the subject matter of the projection)
The chosen site: Egoli Gas
I projected onto a building in the disused, derelict section of Egoli Gas in Johannesburg. This building was originally situated on the outskirts of Johannesburg, but as the city grew, it was engulfed by the city. Egoli Gas is the supplier of least environmentally damaging fossil fuels, and provides sections of the city with power and energy. After it was destoryed by a fire, a large section of Egoli Gas has since remained deserted. Since then it has faced fires (which are extremely difficult to extinguish) and bomb-scares, the most recent of which occurred earlier this year (2014).
In the projection "Illuminocity", the site becomes a metaphor for the city of Johannesburg. Both are places of energy and power, and are the results of a rich history. Both have unstable foundations on literal and figurative levels: the derelict buildings of Egoli Gas as a result of their abandonment, and Johannesburg’s as a result of being built on gold mines (sinkholes and tremors occur). Both are also sites of industry and production. They are spaces of colossal scale and power.
Runner:
The narrative of Illuminocity follows the Runner chasing a plastic packet. Runner is an ambiguous character with non-descript features. He is a symbol of the anonymity that the city offers. His running suggests urgency, fear and danger.
His chase of the packet takes the form of a simple interactive game, in which he becomes subject to the audience's control. The aim of the game is to catch the packet, but there are no rewards for this, resulting in an endless chase. This is a commentry on the perpetual nature of consumerism.One living in the city becomes part of the machine, so the audience becomes a part of the performance. The runner becomes the avatar of the user.
Runner conforms to the archetype of the stranger: there is a lack of deep or intimate connection, with the only connection being the fact that the stranger is also human, which is the only common feature. The stranger is the one in a city who carries out the necessary but unpleasant tasks (this relates to mining history of JHB)
The game element of Illuminocity compares the city to an interactive game. Both are governed by a system and rules, and exert a certain level of control over the user. They are both driven by motivation and a desire for progress. The notion of progress is one of the foundations of modernity, and, since Johannesburg was built on modern principles, it becomes the foundation of Johannesburg.
The game element also links to our interaction with hyper-reality (real vs. virtual). The medium of projection mapping also does this as virtual images are projected onto a real surface to create an entirely new scene.
Illuminocity as an interactive game and Johannesburg as a city both require “extreme focus on a task, a sense of active control, [the] merging of action and awareness, loss of self-awareness [and a] distortion of the experience of time” (Baron 2012).
Illuminocity as an interactive game and Johannesburg as a city both require “extreme focus on a task, a sense of active control, [the] merging of action and awareness, loss of self-awareness [and a] distortion of the experience of time” (Baron 2012).
The Packet:
The packet that Runner is chasing is metaphor for the consumerist culture in Johannesburg. Plastic packets litter the streets, especially in times of strikes and unrest (have sometimes been called the “flowers” of Johannesburg, blooming like weeds). Like the building it is projected onto, the packet is empty. This is a comment on how consumerism is driven by redundancy.The Pipes:
Pipelines are one of tne ways that natural gas is transported. In Illuminocity, the pipes speak of the connectedness of the city. They are symbols of the travel, commuting, movement, flow and rhythm occuring in JohannesburgThe Machine:
Machines perform functional work. In this work, they speak of the city being driven by the idea of progress. Johannesburg was also founded shortly after the industrial revolution, as is a place of work industry. Mining, the reason that Johannesburg exists, is a heavily mechanised process and the machines elements in Illuminocity speak of this. Machines also have a rhythm and pattern, as does the city. There is also the aspect of "clockwork". Time is one of the pivotal "gears" of the city. The rhythms and flow within the city are determined by time (working hours, shifts, bus times, train times, and also history).
Mining:
Johannesburg exists because of the gold mining. This fact is celebrated by Gold Reef City – a theme park and a casino. When approaching the CBD from the south, one passes Gold Reef City with its iconic ferris wheel against the backdrop of disappearing mine dumps, an interesting and contrasting juxtaposition. The theme park is a space of leisure, entertainment and gambling. It masks a brutal history of exploitation, harsh living conditions, violence, death, and danger faced by the gold miners.
Mining history has also shaped the city’s physical characteristics. Since the city is built above the mines, Johannesburg can only expand outwards rather than upwards. This results in commuters travelling long distances to and from the CBD daily. The skyline of Johannesburg, made of skyscrapers (grand, man-made constructions, awe-inspiring), which soon ends in mine-dumps (many of which are disappearing as they are being re-processed for gold).
The gold bar in Illuminocity has the flammable sign (used fordangerous chemicals) on it. This refers to the dager of mining to the miners, the environment and the city's physical landscape (sinkholes and earth tremmors frequent Johannesburg). This reference to the chemical hazard symbols also refers to the dangerous and extremely toxic chemicals used in the extractive process of gold mining.
The gold Chainis an indicator of wealth, the lure of which caused the gold-rush and then the formation of Johannesburg. Being a chain, it also speaks of slavery, since there has been much human exploitation in Johannesburg's mining history
Energy:
Fire is a dangerous element and is associated with destruction. It consumes fuel and often releases harmful waste, arguably like the consumptive culture in Johannesburg. Fire requires caution and careful control, lest it run wild. Johannesburg is considered to be dangerous too; there is the ever-present fear of crime and violence, and the uneasy tension caused by the contrasts between the extreme wealth and extreme poverty that co-exist within the city.
Mining history has also shaped the city’s physical characteristics. Since the city is built above the mines, Johannesburg can only expand outwards rather than upwards. This results in commuters travelling long distances to and from the CBD daily. The skyline of Johannesburg, made of skyscrapers (grand, man-made constructions, awe-inspiring), which soon ends in mine-dumps (many of which are disappearing as they are being re-processed for gold).
The gold bar in Illuminocity has the flammable sign (used fordangerous chemicals) on it. This refers to the dager of mining to the miners, the environment and the city's physical landscape (sinkholes and earth tremmors frequent Johannesburg). This reference to the chemical hazard symbols also refers to the dangerous and extremely toxic chemicals used in the extractive process of gold mining.
The gold Chainis an indicator of wealth, the lure of which caused the gold-rush and then the formation of Johannesburg. Being a chain, it also speaks of slavery, since there has been much human exploitation in Johannesburg's mining history
Energy:
Fire is a dangerous element and is associated with destruction. It consumes fuel and often releases harmful waste, arguably like the consumptive culture in Johannesburg. Fire requires caution and careful control, lest it run wild. Johannesburg is considered to be dangerous too; there is the ever-present fear of crime and violence, and the uneasy tension caused by the contrasts between the extreme wealth and extreme poverty that co-exist within the city.
Illuminocity brings to question the production of energy. Oil controls the world currency, and is also used for the production of energy. Energy is directly linked to power. The oil barrel in Illuminocity refers to the conspiracies around “black gold”
Aesthetic:
Illuminocity references the steampunk aesthetic. This is because steampunk reinterprets the imagery of the industrial revolution and Victorian fashion. Johannesburg was founded in the Victorian era, and is a site of industry.
Vector images and projected onto a textured façade, again referring to the juxtaposing of the real and hyper-real evident in projection mapping.
Challenges, struggles and learning curves:
I had to learning the programme Isadora from scratch, as well as how to use and set up a projector. I learned how to design for a projector (regarding colours, RGB, tone and contrast) as opposed to screen or print. I learned how to and how not to do basic 2D animations. While working, I had to constantly be aware that everything I animated had to loop seamlessly, so that every video finished where it started.
One of the biggest challenges I faced was the trade-off between quality and playback speed. If the video quality was too high, the video would not play smoothly, and the frame-rate would drop to about 6 or 8 frames per second. However, if the quality was too low, the images would pixelate terribly. I also had to consider the aspect ratio of the projector versus the screen i was working on, and make sure that I was always favouring the projector's specifications.
In this process I learned the value of technical trials - having tests in which I could find and fix problems, and learn more effective ways of doing things.
Another challenge was documenting in low light conditions. As soon as the light is too low, the camera struggles to record anything. When I pushed the ISO up to maximum, the footage was grainy and of very poor quality.
Getting permission to do the projection mapping at Egoli Gas involved me leaving my comfort-zone and approaching people. The people at Egoli Gas were extremely helpful and friendly, which made this part of the project easier.
One of the biggest challenges I faced was the trade-off between quality and playback speed. If the video quality was too high, the video would not play smoothly, and the frame-rate would drop to about 6 or 8 frames per second. However, if the quality was too low, the images would pixelate terribly. I also had to consider the aspect ratio of the projector versus the screen i was working on, and make sure that I was always favouring the projector's specifications.
In this process I learned the value of technical trials - having tests in which I could find and fix problems, and learn more effective ways of doing things.
Another challenge was documenting in low light conditions. As soon as the light is too low, the camera struggles to record anything. When I pushed the ISO up to maximum, the footage was grainy and of very poor quality.
Getting permission to do the projection mapping at Egoli Gas involved me leaving my comfort-zone and approaching people. The people at Egoli Gas were extremely helpful and friendly, which made this part of the project easier.
I also struggled for a while with the conceptual side of Illuminocity, as both the act of projection and the surface porjected onto have loaded implications which need to be carefully and thoughtfully considered.
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References:
Baron, S. 2012. Cognitive Flow: The Psychology of Great Game Design. [O]. Available:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/166972/cognitive_flow_the_psychology_of_.php
Accessed October 2014
Chon, S. Lee, H. & Yoon, J. 2011.3D Architectural Projection, Light Wall. Leonardo 44(2):172–173.
Hanson, K. 2014. Video Mapping: A Medium for Projection Artists. In Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. (eds). 2014. Britannica Book of the Year 2014. [Sl]: Encyclopaedia Britannica: 198-199
Hart, K. 2004. Chapter 3. Postmodern experience, in Postmodernism, a beginner’s guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press: 47-66.
Hollier, D. 1993. While the City Sleeps: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. October 64:3-15
Murray, M. 2011. City of Extremes: the Spatial Politics of Johannesburg. Durham: Duke University Press.
