Guebwiller Cultural Center Bets optoma for immersive experiences

The former dominican convent of Upper Alsace has renewed its projection system and has installed eight Full HD ZH406ST laser equipment to cover a surface in 360°, on the vertical part of the walls.

the Dominicans of Upper Alsace It is a center of creation and innovation, Pioneer in digital experimentation since 2007. Resident artists apply their research to concerts, explore sound creations, Musical, visual and digital to offer viewers new immersive environments and sensory spaces.

The former Dominican convent of Guebwiller is classified as a Historical Monument, is a place of Alsatian architectural heritage where the humanism of the Rhine flows. It was built in the fourteenth century, under the Holy Roman Empire. Composed of a church and a cloister, it went through many wars and revolts before being abandoned by the Dominican friars during the French Revolution.. The buildings, declared national property, were then sold to private individuals.

In the nineteenth century, Jean-Jacques Bourcart, One of the first private owners of the convent, He divided the church choir into two parts, To create a new suspended concert hall: The so-called upper choir. This became the place of many secret stories, In fact it is almost hidden and intimate, An ideal place to develop the alternative trend of the convent and present technological creations.

The first audiovisual installation was made in 2014 with projectors Optoma and was used as a place of creation for resident artists. It is also open to the public regularly during concerts or visits to the convent.. The Lower Mapping Choir (Mapping Lower Choir) is the most used installation.

in 2020 it was decided to make a complete renovation of the HD Ready projection, lamp-based, and replace the equipment with Full HD laser projectors.

The previous installation was equipped with Optoma GT760 projectors, a 720p HD Ready lamp system with an output of 3.400 Lumens.

The objective was to change this installation for Full HD projectors, with laser light source, for ease of maintenance. This is how Olivier Guillemin explains it, technical director of the convent of the Domenicos. “The GT760s have proven themselves reliable over the past five years so it was only natural that Optoma's technology would be used again.".

This intimate and immersive space is located on the ground floor of the church of the Dominican convent. With more than 9 meters wide and 19 meters long, It is a windowless space that allows complete immersion.

The projection system had to allow this surface to be covered in 360° in the vertical part of the walls. Choosing short-throw projectors simplified the installation process.

The Optoma ZH406ST model was chosen because it offers Full HD 1080p resolution, a brightness of 4.200 lumens and a short range of 0,50:1. It is equipped with a DuraCore laser light source that offers more than 30.000 Maintenance-free life hours. It also has IP6X certification for dust resistance, which means that the optical assembly is hermetically mounted to protect it from dirt ingress.

It was necessary to install eight ZH406ST for this mapping, which represents a total projection area of 56 meters long by 3,96 high. A sound system has been adapted for the project in order to create a real immersive atmosphere, and, for that purpose, Visitors use the 40 Wireless headphones.

The Domenicos of Alto Alsace is a cultural meeting place, animated by an artistic project around music, In connection with digital arts. To celebrate its new installation and reopening after confinement, an immersive mapping was carried out, created by camerawoman Claire Willemann, showing a hypnotic atmosphere called Blue. The visitor is transported between giant jellyfish and planets with the sound of composer Vladislav Isaev.

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