Christie® has signed a wide-ranging, long-term partnership agreement with the
Barbican Centre in London to provide leading visual technology solutions to the
world-class arts and learning centre. The partnership will transform the public
spaces of the Barbican by providing new platforms for its rolling programme of
artistic commissions and new focal points to communicate with the public. Christie
will supply the latest laser phosphor projection, LED video walls, as well as
Christie® MicroTiles® and Christie Pandoras Box media servers. The displays will
be seen at entrances, across the foyers and at key points throughout the building.
As part of the partnership, Christie will have access to meeting rooms and
conference facilities to host partners and clients.
To coincide with this new partnership, the Barbican is holding an open call for
artists, collectives and designers across all disciplines to create a projected artwork
that responds to the phrase “What’s going on here, then?’, find out more about the
open call out here.
Sir Nicholas Kenyon, Managing Director of the Barbican said, “We’re delighted to be
announcing this new partnership with Christie today. Christie’s cutting edge
hardware and software will help animate the public spaces of our iconic building and
help us to deliver outstanding art in the foyers for free. Our foyers have already
housed innovative light sculptures, digital installations and audio journeys by both
emerging and established artists. We’re extremely excited to now be launching an
open call and look forward to receiving bold, dynamic and imaginative
submissions.’
Already, with the initial installation of four laser phosphor projectors in the main
foyer, the Barbican’s vision to animate its public spaces, engage audiences and
support artists working in non-traditional art forms has gained traction with the
public.
Since summer 2016, Christie laser phosphor projectors, powered by Pandoras Box,
have illuminated two separate installations in the foyers. Numina, by artist Zarah
Hussain, uses two Christie HS Series laser phosphor projectors.
Numina is a vast hexagonal grid illuminated with projection mapped geometric
patterns that draw from traditional Islamic art. The bright projection onto a 3D
sculpture is attracting significant attention both in person and across social media. A
second installation, let’s take a walk by theatre collective “non zero one’, greets
visitors with projections of six individuals who guide visitors on an audio journey
around the Centre. Illuminated by two GS Series projectors, the projection lights up
a wall with an amazing sight line on the Ground Floor foyer, drawing visitors to
engage with the interactive tour.
The partnership underlines the ongoing and ever-evolving nature of the relationship
between technology providers and content creators. The partnership also allows the
Barbican to communicate and interact with visitors in new ways. Over the coming
months, 28 Christie Velvet 3mm LED tiles will be installed above the main entrance
in Silk Street, welcoming visitors with customized messages from content supplied
by the Barbican, tailored to the 7-metre wide LED configuration. At three other key
points, HS Series projectors – which can project in portrait mode – will also display
The Barbican’s content.
