theMART

Obscura Digital

Obscura partnered with Vornado Realty Trust and architecture firm Valerio Dewalt Train Associates to design and implement a permanent projection system to illuminate theMART building in Chicago with large-scale visual artistry on a nightly basis. 34 4k30 Boxer projectors cast over 1 million lumens of light on the building’s 2.5 acre façade, making this the largest permanent projection system in the world. It will feature 2-hour projection shows 5 nights a week, 10 months of the year for 30 years.

For “Art on theMART”, Obscura designed and created a software-driven platform that allows theMART to curate an ongoing exhibition of imagery from celebrated artists, keeping the illuminations fresh, timely and engaging. It includes a variety of custom filters and visual effects, allowing the curatorial team to present selected imagery with dynamic animations.

Art on theMART was launched in a grand opening ceremony on the evening of September 29, 2018, featuring original content from Obscura’s award-winning media team and four curated international artists, including Diana Thater, Zheng Chongbin, Jason Salavon and Jan Tichy. The event was attended by over 30,000 people and garnered national media attention.

My Contribution

My work with theMART began in the early phases of conceptualization and prototyping. When Obscura was first exploring what this project might look like we did a fast UI and Previs sprint that would laid the ground work for a number of the core elements in this project. In the first phases of design and development I was able to contribute to the artistic direction of this project. As this piece matured I worked closely with Michael Walczyk, Landon Thomas, and Michael Clement to help fully develop all of the final moving pieces that brought this project to life.