Beyonce
World Humanitarian Day
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ClientUnited Nations
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RoleProjection Design, Projection Mapping, Production
The Project
In a collaboration with the United Nations, Droga5, and numerous partners, Collab produced the technology strategy as well as the projection mapping, and 12,000 Square Foot Compound Curved Screen to deliver a live performance video for World Humanitarian Day.
The central concept was to transform the iconic General Assembly of the UN into a living canvas, and connect it with every country on earth that is affected by the initiatives that stem from that very room. The process involved constructing the largest indoor concave projection screen ever built, engineering 10,000 pounds of steel to truss the screen over the world’s leaders, and projection-map the UN General Assembly Hall. The screen served as an animated backdrop for a live performance of Beyonce’s “I Was Here,” the adopted anthem of WHD. A music video shot during the show helped the WHD campaign reach over 2 billion people globally through the combined social reach of celebrities like Michelle Obama, Oprah, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and more.
The project was complex and required a strategic plan in order to satisfy Kenzo's vision. Working with a twenty-five person team of animators, we were able to guide them as to how the content will be projected onto a distorted surface. The sheer size -- projecting on a 12,000 sf concave screen was challenging enough. Adding the complexity of bringing together an organization like the United Nations to work collaboratively while creating a visual masterpiece that needed to be filmed in front of a live audience in one take was mind an unforgettable experience.
