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HARMAN Martin Professional’s Interactive Light Well Shines in Finnish Town Square

LAHTI, Finland – Valokaivo, a difficult-to-translate Finnish word for “Light Well,” is also the name of an interactive light installation located in the central market square of the Finnish town, Lahti. Valokaivo is essentially an array of skyward-facing lights, illuminating when passersby step on different sections of the protective glass panel. Such an interactive installation required the participation of several specialty organizations and components from high-quality manufacturers, including HARMAN Martin Professional lighting elements.

The installation was designed by Studio Lux Nova and Marjut Kauppinen. Studiotecsupplied the Martin® VC-Dots for the media surface and the reActor Media server. The Invisible developed the interactive digital content and installed the IP camera motion tracking.

After developing the initial design, Marjut Kauppinen and Studio Lux Nova brought in Studiotec’s Tapio Järvinen to determine if the idea was possible from a technical standpoint. Following their meeting and a demo session with the VC-Dot 1 fixtures, Järvinen and Kauppinen built a prototype with an 80 x 80 cm acrylic frosted surface. This prototype was then successfully presented to the city of Lahti and Lahti Energia, a local company that manages the city’s technical projects, and it was decided that the project should become a reality.

The design of the well is inspired by traditional draw wells found in excavations of the town square. It resembles a water well immersed in a granite platform just above pavement level. When pedestrians walk onto the platform, the well responds by creating white ripples on the surface around the area stepped on.

A downward-angled camera is mounted above the well. The video is then processed by reActor Media server that generates interactive video content in real-time and passes it on to the VC-Dots via a Martin® P3 System Controller. 29 VC-Dot 9s are installed inside the well to display content simulating blue water.

In addition to the Light Well, four Martin ExteriorTM 400 Image Projectors were placed at the Lahti market square projecting footsteps onto the pavement that direct visitors to the Light Well installation.

The reActor Media server was highly suitable for this type of project because of its many features designed specifically for interactive installations, including several computer vision algorithms and the ease of software customization to allow a quick and easy modification of the installation’s tracking algorithm. Also it was able to handle implementation of custom interactive video content.

“We went for the VC-Dots from Martin Professional because the P3 system setup is so simple to install and control,” said Järvinen. “We’ve used it for several other installations and it’s highly reliable. Furthermore, the VC-Dots and the VC-Feeder met our IP rating demands.“

The installation took approximately 24 hours to install, including some last-minute on-site configuration. Valokaivo now serves as a new experiential meeting place and a stage for small scale events for the citizens of Lahti.

Martin Equipment

·VC-Dot 9, 29 pcs.

·P3-100 System Controller, 1 pc. 

·VC-Feeder, 1 pc.

·P3 PowerPort 1500, 1 pc. 

Credits

·System design, installation and commissioning: Studiotec

·Lighting Design: Arkkitehtitoimisto Marjut Kauppinen & Studio Lux Nova

·Interactive content: The Invisible

·Media Server: LightAct

For a video of Valokaivo, please visit: https://vimeo.com/125896473

For more information on Studiotec, please visit: http://www.studiotec.fi/

For more information on Studio Lux Nova, please visit: http://studioluxnova.com/

For more information, please visit: www.martin.com

As a world leader in the creation of dynamic lighting solutions for the entertainment, architectural, and commercial sectors, Martin lighting and video systems are renowned the world over. Martin also offers a range of advanced lighting controllers and media servers, as well as a complete line of smoke machines as a complement to intelligent lighting. Martin operates the industry’s most complete and capable distributor network with local partners in nearly 100 countries. Founded in 1987 and based in Aarhus, Denmark, Martin is the lighting division of global infotainment and audio company HARMAN International Industries. For more information please visit: www.martin.com.

HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems; audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and connected services. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. The Company’s software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 27,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $6.2 billion during the 12 months ended June 30, 2015.

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