Projection Mapping Helps Boost Public Morale in a Covid World

(Lead photo: Sydney Opera House – Saying thank you to NSW’s SES Volunteers for their tireless efforts. Courtesy TDC)

When considering the effects of Covid-19 on a global scale, one realises just how lucky we are in Australia to be isolated on our own little island bubble, shielded from this ruthless virus that continues to ravage other countries. Indeed, Australians can be extremely proud of how we’ve rallied together in a collective effort to battle the pandemic and remain healthy and safe.

However, in being protected from the potentially catastrophic impacts of Covid, Australians have also been deprived of the joy and delight that our beloved cultural events bring. And, of course, our entire industry is only too aware of the devastating consequences that Covid-induced event cancellations have inflicted throughout the past 14 months.

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The Electric Canvas is amongst those in our industry who have fought (and continue to fight) hammer and tongs to stay afloat during the Coronavirus onslaught. There have been some pretty close calls and high hurdles to jump over on more than one occasion – some of which could have really knocked us down for the count. Take the snap “circuit-breaker” lockdown in mid-February, in which almost every other state and territory closed its borders to Victorians. TEC was on the verge of bumping in eight major projection sites for the Enlighten Festival in Canberra, for which essentially half of our 12-person strong technical team would have been shut out of the ACT. The solution was loading and transferring a semi-trailer full of equipment from Melbourne to Canberra on just 12 hours’ notice, as well as chartering a private jet to see our technicians safely across the border before it was closed for the foreseeable future.

Challenges aside, we feel extremely fortunate to have so many loyal and supportive clients, all of whom have remained so throughout the pandemic. In the early days of Covid, with everyone on tenterhooks, these customers realised the importance of helping us to preserve our teams, who hold the knowledge and experience relevant to their projects. We were able to work with some of our valued clients to develop their future projects a little earlier than usual, which kept our staff engaged and the fires burning.

Large-scale projection has proven to be an extremely successful way of boosting public engagement and morale during Covid. Many of our “canvases” are conducive to social distancing regulations, making them ideal activation sites. The Sydney Opera House, for example, can be viewed from almost anywhere around Circular Quay and beyond (in fact, the world). Since the pandemic began, we’ve delivered no less than twelve activations onto Australia’s most iconic building. The projections have ranged from commemorating national and international events, to casting a spotlight on our country’s unsung heroes, to celebrating Cathy Freeman’s Sydney 2000 gold medal victory, to reliving 48 years of memories made under the Opera House’s world-famous sails.

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60° projections onto the 50-metre high National Carillon in Canberra (which can be seen from near, far and all around) helped shine a light on some of our nation’s most important events in 2020 and 2021 – National Reconciliation Week, NAIDOC Week and Australian of the Year. Likewise, striking projections onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons and coloured lighting of the arches (by TEC and 32 Hundred Lighting, respectively) aided the NSW Government to bolster its all-important National Road Safety Week campaign in May. Pylon projections also helped the National Rugby League celebrate its champions and thank its fans and supporters for “a season like no other”.

Despite the logistical challenges imposed by Covid, we were able to deliver several large-scale projection activations for Christmas in three different cities across Australia. Having outdoor spaces as our “theatre” made it possible for local councils to manage physical distancing measures and helped the public feel confident to attend these events in safety. Our creative team also developed projection content that assisted cities like Melbourne (that had only just finished emerging from a 112-day lockdown) to keep the public circulating safely when viewing the projections.

Just recently, we were approached by Northern Beaches Council to deliver a special Anzac Day commemoration in lieu of their usual veteran’s march, which was understandably cancelled due to Covid restrictions. With just seven days’ notice, we were able to create a series of poignant visual treatments, accurately mapped onto the façade of Manly Town Hall, paying homage to the Anzacs and providing the public with a great sense of solidarity and pride.

The Electric Canvas continues its resurgence from the Covid-19 pandemic, which has brought our team together and made us stronger than ever. We consider ourselves as not just a company, but a family, where each and every individual’s efforts contribute to delivering some pretty spectacular and memorable projects. Of course, we remain astutely on our toes – one can never be too wary of a snap lockdown at a moment’s notice – but we are confident that the future of projection mapping is indeed bright (pun intended).