Green Hippo’s Hippotizer media servers once again took centre stage at the annual Nobel Prize banquet held at Stockholm’s historic City Hall, delivering elegant 4K projections across the venue’s walls and ceiling for an audience that included Swedish royalty.
Held in the iconic Blue Hall and attended by Nobel Laureates, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, and broadcast live on Swedish television, the event is one of the world’s most carefully choreographed ceremonial productions.
For more than a decade, the banquet’s projection and video elements have been driven by Hippotizer servers, with Swedish visual specialist Peppe Tannemyr of DigiGobos leading video design and programming.
For the latest edition, Tannemyr deployed an optimized projection system based on Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 and Hippotizer Montane+ MK2 media servers, configured as primary and backup systems. Two double-stacked 4K projectors delivered 4K content at 50 frames per second directly onto the building’s brick surfaces, while the hall’s bright ceiling acted as a vast projection canvas.
Given the scale and prestige of the Nobel banquet, reliability is critical. The production is broadcast live to a global audience and must run flawlessly. “One server runs as the main system and the other as backup”, explains Tannemyr. “We can switch between them instantly if something happens”.
The control setup was streamlined using Stream Deck interfaces and MIDI controllers, including Akai units, with timecode triggers from the music used when required.
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We projected directly onto the brick walls, and the ceiling is essentially a giant screen. Hippotizer is a tool that never lets you down. Any adjustments can be made quickly and easily, which is essential in a live broadcast environment, says Tannemyr.
Among the key features used during programming were Hippotizer’s LiveMask tools, allowing content to be dynamically shaped to the venue’s architecture. Effects such as colour adjustments and blur processing were also used to refine the visual aesthetic.
Additional lighting and video elements complemented the projections. Pixel-mapped LED bars were hidden within the banquet tables beneath floral arrangements, creating subtle sparkling effects across the space, while smaller projectors positioned in the windows extended the visual atmosphere throughout the hall.
Tannemyr’s involvement in the Nobel events stems from a long-standing collaboration with lighting designer Per Sundin, who has shaped the banquet’s lighting design for many years.
“I’ve been working with Per Sundin on a variety of productions for several years”, says Tannemyr. “From multiple Eurovision projects to theatrical productions. When it comes to the Nobel events, he has always relied on us for the video side”.
This collaboration first introduced Hippotizer media servers to the event in 2007, and the platform has remained a core element of the production ever since.
We’ve been involved with the Nobel dinner for many years, and 2007 was the first time we used Hippotizer. Since then, whenever projection or video content is required at the banquet, we rely on them.
The visual concept of the Nobel banquet evolves each year and, more recently, a different guest designer has been introduced for each edition, responsible for the creative direction of the performance sequences.
For the latest edition, Swedish visual artist Alexander Wessely developed the artistic concept for the performances. “In the past, Per and I designed the visual concept together”, explains Tannemyr. “Now we help bring the guest designer’s ideas to life: we plan what’s needed from a video perspective, select the equipment and ensure those creative concepts work within the space”.
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This work involves translating creative vision into a technically robust solution within the unique architectural environment of Stockholm City Hall’s Blue Hall, a vast brick-lined space with towering walls and a striking vaulted ceiling.
Tannemyr recalls a memorable moment from previous editions, when projection-mapped “fireworks” exploded across the hall’s ceiling. “Obviously, you can’t use real fireworks at a formal dinner with the King, Queen and Nobel Laureates,” he says. “But with Hippotizer, we were able to create that illusion through projection”.
The moment also caught the attention of commentators during the broadcast. “It was described on television as ‘impressive projections inside City Hall’”, concludes Tannemyr.
