Every year, on 3rd October, Germany celebrates the Day of German Unity with a three day long citizen’s festival (Bürgerfest). The celebrations are hosted by a major city, and in 2022 that honour fell to Erfurt, state capital Thuringia.

Thousands of guests enjoyed the 32 years of German unity festival, which was filled with music, dance, performances by various artists and a fireworks display in the historic old town of Erfurt. Along with the traditional celebrations, the event also featured a stunning light projection show on a department store, built in the early 1900s, Anger 1. The building served as a massive projection screen, showcasing images from the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and reunification period, seamlessly connected through 3D mapping.

The projection mapping showed various pictures and animations, using two Digital Projection TITAN Projectors to produce bright, sharp, saturated images and effects on the façade to bring the time of reunification to life and to artistically showcase the theme of the celebrations. The powerful 3-chip TITAN Laser projectors, supplied by Digital Projection’s German partner, ETHA, can deliver up to 37,000 (WUXGA) or up to 31,000 (4K-UHD) lumens from a relatively compact chassis, making them ideal for large venues like Anger 1 where bright and sharp images were required.

One of the objectives of the projection was to showcase the reunification period using the latest light and image technologies. The content had to be tailored specifically for the 432m² façade of the building and be visually impactful. The use of only two projectors to fill such a vast expanse is a testament to the unrivalled power of the TITAN projector family.

The symbolic light show comprised two parts. The first part of the show featured real historical photographs from the GDR and German reunification, transporting the audience back in time. The second part featured photorealistic but fictitious images generated using AI-supported photo tools based on descriptive texts and keywords related to the time of reunification. Three-dimensional effects highlighted the architecture of Anger 1 between image sequences, creating an impressive visual spectacle.

The project utilised historical photographs of the Berlin Wall and German reunification that were processed through several AI tools to produce AI-pictures of the Berlin Wall which were computer-generated. These images were then incorporated into the 3D mapping, using the real-time graphics tool – Notch. The video content was created by artist collective WE ARE VIDEO.

The artist collective was responsible for the video projection, the technical implementation and coordination of the project was carried out by LEC CmbH, Jenoptik’s long-standing partner for video projections and laser shows.

The projection show on Anger 1 was a successful celebration of German Unity Day, a symbol of progress and unity. Digital Projection’s TITANs and the artistically impactful content made it a visually stunning tribute to the reunification of Germany.

Photos: copyright WE ARE VIDEO and Isabelle Fleck