The French mapping expert CS Prod chose M-Vision projectors from Digital Projection for a cultural project that brought the history of King Louis XIII to life in the former royal residence of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (France).
This immersive 20-minute mapping projection show celebrated the life of the sovereign, promoted the city's historical heritage, and enhanced access to culture for a young audience.
Located in the western suburbs of Paris, the city of Saint-Germain-en-Laye has hosted many monarchs throughout its history as their royal residence, but none had as strong a connection to the city as Louis XIII. This little-known king, overshadowed by his father Henry IV and his son Louis XIV (the Sun King), spent most of his time there and chose the city as his permanent residence in 1620.
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Today, Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a student city, with almost half of its population (23,000) being students, where access to culture for young people is an important goal. *Lumières sur Louis XIII* (Lights on Louis XIII) was created in collaboration with Digital Projection's French partner, CS Prod, a collective of artists led by Christian Salès, with technical expertise focused on creating content related to history and heritage, and the city's cultural department.
The event allowed visitors to take an immersive journey through the memories of Louis XIII between March and April of this year, courtesy of Digital Projection's M-Vision laser projectors.
"For us, organizing a show of this nature was a complete novelty," says Benoit Battistelli, Deputy Mayor responsible for culture in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. "We aimed for a large-format show that would interest young people through sound and image, encouraging them to learn in a more engaging way."
CS Prod was selected from 20 candidates to carry out the project, due to their meticulous way of working. "Christian Salès from CS Prod made the production as accurate as possible," explains Battistelli. "They delved into the historical details, such as the decoration, colors, and shapes, to match the history and specific details of Louis XIII."
The Manège Royal, a building constructed in the 19th century, was chosen to host the immersive show due to its magnificent inverted ship hull ceiling and its connection to the king. "What catches the eye upon entering is the structure of the building and the balcony where the king used to sit," says Christian Salès, artistic director of CS Prod, who sought ways to cover all the interior areas with video content.
To achieve this, the team installed three ultra-wide-angle E-Vision 15000 lens projectors at the back of the balcony; six M-Vision 23000 laser projectors on each side of the building, projecting onto the opposite wall and the ceiling; and two M-Vision 27000 projectors at the back of the room with a projection range of 50 meters. "We knew that the front wall had to be the most impactful for the audience, showing authentic colors and sharp images, and the M-Vision 27000 exceeded our requirements," he explains.
On the balcony, which is central to the show, CS Prod installed a transparent metal mesh to create hologram effects, courtesy of Showtex. "By installing the video projectors very low at the back of the balcony, they were hidden, and the audience could focus on the content," adds Salès.
CS Prod provided the entire AVL system: accompanying the Digital Projection laser projectors were eight speakers, four subwoofers, and 30 LED Par Can lights. To prepare the cultural installation, CS Prod worked closely with Alexandra Zvereva, curator of the city museum, and Isabelle Cadiergues, head of the city's Cultural Development Department.
The projection mapping experts also studied the life of Louis XIII, including the king's passion for the arts, music, painting, and gardening, and used this information as inspiration to create the content. "We also used the colors of the time, which we found in existing paintings and books related to the king's life," says Salès.
It took the company an entire month to conduct the research, during which time CS Prod met with specialists of the period, visited castles in Burgundy for inspiration on specific decor, and researched in various libraries and museums. It then took three months to create the content, and the script was co-written by Christian Salès and Michel Piquemal.
The idea of using Digital Projection laser projectors came naturally to Salès, as the company's laser projectors are the only brand that CS Prod confidently uses in their projects. "Digital Projection's ColorBoost + Red Laser technology is amazing; it offers excellent images," he explains. "The hardware is fundamental to content creation, and with Digital Projection, I know exactly how it will look when we're creating the content."
In 2022, CS Prod added seven more M-Vision lasers to their inventory, bringing the total to 20, and last year the company added 12 more, including five M-Vision 27000s, due to the "image quality and the new platform [Nexus] that allows us to manage distortions and blends within the projector, in addition to consuming less energy, weighing less, and offering greater brightness intensity."
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The immersive show also included a six-minute mapping projection on the building's exterior facade every night. This was made possible by installing M-Vision 23000 laser projectors in two side towers, located 30 meters from the facade.
*Lumières sur Louis XIII* was a great success, attracting 15,000 visitors, including 3,500 primary school students, in one month. According to Battistelli, the show was a triumph, and the response was positive: viewers were "surprised, amazed, and impressed."
Salès agrees, praising the functions of M-Vision, and states: "The entire project lasted a month and a half, and during that time, we had no problems with Digital Projection's projectors. We are very happy with the result."
