Panasonic showcases largest water screen projections
LAS VEGAS, August 20, 2015
Panasonic Corporation achieved one of the world's largest water screen projections as it provided special support for a Kabuki performance held recently at the Bellagio Hotel, owned by MGM Resorts International.
Produced by Shochiku Co and titled 'Panasonic Presents Kabuki Spectacle at Fountains of Bellagio: Koi-Tsukami' (Fight with a Carp), the event used sixteen Panasonic PT-DZ21K projectors to break previous records for water screen projections, said a statement.
The Panasonic projectors infused the Bellagio Hotel’s fountains with gigantic projections reaching a maximum of 18 meters in height and about 300 meters in width—almost the size of three US pro football fields, it said.
Along with Panasonic and Shochiku, a key collaborator was teamLab, which has been esteemed worldwide for its digital tech artwork.
In grand Vegas style, the event made accessible to a Las Vegas audience a traditional Japanese art form with a rich history spanning more than 400 years.
It was the first series of projects to create a new entertainment form with elements of Kabuki.
'Japan Kabuki Festival' with Kabuki performances and related events, is being planned for May next year in Las Vegas.
On a special stage that floated above the Bellagio Hotel’s world-famous artificial lake, lead actors Ichikawa Somegoro and Nakamura Yonekichi delivered a stunning performance of 'New Kabuki' – combining the Japanese traditional summer Kabuki title 'Fight with a Carp' with fantastical modern digital art.
The grandiosity of the stage performance drew tens of thousands of spectators in total over five performances, said the statement.
Panasonic holds the world’s largest share of industrial projectors in the 5,000 lumen-plus brightness range, according to data provided by PMA Research.
The projectors used for this spectacle were the same type as those that powered the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.
Joseph M Taylor, chairman and chief executive officer, Panasonic North America, said: “This incredible digital art performance combined with an unconventional setting - the surface of a man-made lake – demonstrates how AV projection can push the boundaries of entertainment.
“Working with partners like Shochiku and teamLab in this project allows Panasonic to demonstrate new kinds of high-impact visual solutions for our B-to-B customers that will keep their audiences coming back. And it allows us to highlight the key features of our compact, lightweight and high-performance projectors.” - TradeArabia News Service
