WE ARE HULL – Hull UK City of Culture 2017 Opening Ceremony
Brief: To tell the history of the city of Hull over 100 years to the present day in a 15 minute looped audiovisual experience
Material: Archive footage, drawings, photos, newspaper clippings, mixed with custom animation. Custom spatial sound design
Surface: Facades of three historic buildings on the Hull’s main square (Queen Victoria Square)
Process: In the research stage Palma Studio devised a storyline touching on key historic events and characters. We presented this with a style frame for each part of the sequence for the client.
After client sign off this was worked up into a 15 minute draft animation (animatic) that was shared with the sound designer who composed a draft version of the soundscape.
This animatic then was worked into a three surface animated content. The 8-week production period required a team of five animators and one full time content researcher.
The animated content was signed off by the client one month ahead of the event, and adjusted during two days of rehearsal onsite
Outcome: Over 7 nights, from 1-8 January, it drew an audience of 370,000 and the media attention got the city’s year of culture off to a spectacular and hugely positive start.
HOUSE OF MUSIC - Permanent exhibition
(LIGET project)
We have brought our combined curatorial, interpretation and design expertise to the process of creating a 1000m2 AV-led permanent exhibition on the history of music for the new House of Hungarian Music. The House is the flagship of the ambitious Liget Project museum development in Budapest. The exhibition as a whole takes visitors on an epic musical and historical journey, from ancient shamanistic music to rock ‘n’ roll and digital mash-ups. We are working closely with interactive designers, architects, AV hardware suppliers, graphic designers, academic advisors and a large exhibition team. On this complex project. The team structure is unusual in that there is no curatorial lead. Our director Kathryn Johnson has had the role of curatorial consultant and shaped the exhibition narrative and object/installation list, while Zsolt Balogh has led on developing the AV design elements. Our contribution has therefore been critical and extensive. As a team, we have successfully completed concept to scheme design and begun detailed design.
GLASTONBURY - LAND AND LEGEND
(Victoria and Albert Museum)
Brief: To design an exciting visual storytelling space transporting the visitors to the festival grounds of Glastonbury. The aim was to create a loose narrative that showed the diversity and creativity of festival.
Process: Palma Studio designed a walk in three sided pyramid structure with all three sides covered with front and back projection material, so visitors could experience the content walking around or sitting down inside.
We proposed a concept of organising the vast amount of content of over 100 hours of film and audio recordings using Maslow’s pyramid of human needs theory. This approach created a loose and easy to follow yet playful narrative. Our 3D concept design was shared with technical event production company Hawthorn who engineered the structure.
The content was created over a production period of four weeks, and the installation was built in two days.
Outcome: This display drew more visitors than any other free show in the Theatre and Performance galleries.
BARBICAN 'VULGAR BALL'
(Quintessentially Events)
Brief: To create two immersive projection designs function as backdrop for the Barbican’s charity event ‘Vulgar Ball’
Process: The client gave Palma Studio a free hand to devise the designs and interpret the brief, within a short 2-week timeframe
Outcome: The large ‘white box’ spaces of the venue B1 were transformed into a colourful, flamboyant, ever-changing environment.
PAVLOVA JEWELLERY LAUNCH
(Quintessentially Events)
Brief: To create a video mapped animation for the a luxury jewellery launch responding to its main theme ‘Pavlova’
Process: We took the design elements of the jewellery collection provided by the client and created beautifully flowing animation responding to the ballet dancer’s performance
Outcome: A very successful and impressive event. The client jewellery company felt that the animation expressed their brand well and requested to feature it on their company website after the event
