Returning for its 13th year, Sharjah Light Festival showcases the history, heritage and architecture of the eponymous emirate, inviting internationally renowned artists to celebrate the city’s built and natural environment. For the 2024 event, Dubai-based video-mapping specialist Artabesk once again enlisted its extensive Digital Projection inventory, including to create its signature visual experiences – including a 300m by 50m projection on the side of a mountain beside Al Rafisah Dam.
Entitled The Jewel of Al Rafisah Dam, the 3D projection mapping show was inspired by the ‘Golden Age of Sharjah’, focusing on the ancient history of the city of Khorfakkan and the UAE’s native flora and fauna. At its climax, 12 swans emerged from the mountain behind the dam and danced on the waters of the Wadi Shie river.
With the project marking the first time that visual content had been mapped onto a mountain of that size Artabesk’s Founder and Managing Director, Mounir Harbaoui, explained some of the challenges involved. “We had two main challenges for this projection – the brightness, as the mountain is a brownish, stone colour, and the multiple shadows the mountain creates, as it is not a flat surface,” he commented.
To overcome these obstacles, Artabesk turned to the Digital Projection TITAN Laser 37000 WU. “We decided to use our new TITAN Laser 37000, as it is capable of projecting up to 40m from each projector,” Harbaoui explained, outlining how his team addressed the brightness issue. “We also switched off the street lights so we could create a completely dark environment.” The second challenge was resolved by concentrating all 16 projectors on one point on the mountain, which resulted in a “super clear” image.
Also among the four festival sites entrusted to Artabesk was Sharjah Mosque, which used a mix of TITAN Laser 37000 WU and M-Vision 23000 WU projectors to create a 400sq m linear projection, divided into eight areas across the entire surface of the mammoth mosque, whose minarets alone are almost 40m high.
Unlike the Al Rafisah Dam mountain projection, which featured moving visuals and music, for Sharjah Mosque Artabesk was limited to still images, given the sensitivities associated with projecting onto a religious site. Despite this, the powerful, ultra-bright imagery generated by the TITAN Laser projectors ensured that the strikingly illuminated mosque was widely regarded one of the highlights of the festival.
In addition to delivering on the technological front, Digital Projection supported Artabesk throughout the festival. “We always have support on site when it is necessary,” Harbaoui stated. “Artabesk and Digital Projection’s Dubai-based team, led by Alex Gnatyuk, always collaborate to make sure the projectors are in the best condition for each installation.”
Photo: Artabesk, Benjamin Perroux
