An Impressive Projection-Mapping Installation with the Interactive Wall Kit

An interview with Creative Design Studio Wall and Wall, discussing the creative potential of interactive murals

We collaborated with Creative Design Studio, Wall and Wall to design a projection mapping installation using the new Interactive Wall Kit.

Read the full interview and learn more about how they created this amazing interactive mural.

Who is Wall and Wall and what areas are you focused on?

Wall and Wall is a creative studio based in San Francisco. We firmly believe that a well-designed space can inspire, change-makers, build creativity and engage in community interaction. We are a group of artists who enjoy painting and creating artwork and aim to push the boundaries of visual communication through technology and public art.

Together, our team is passionate about transforming and building spaces to inspire community engagement. Our art comes in many forms, including large scale wall murals, interactive murals (light and sound) and now projection mapping, 3D art installations, and live painting events. We consider ourselves visual storytellers, so our inspiration comes from the context of the project, brand or client. Whether it’s an office space, public park, airport, or a hotel lobby – our hope is to bring a fresh and positive impact on the walls we are painting and create an immersive experience.

You’ve used the Bare Conductive technology in your previous projects. When you found out about the new kit, something new and innovative in the market. What was the first idea that crossed your mind?

We’ve been wanting to implement more video mapping and animation into our work, however, there were a lot of barriers into making it affordable and feasible for our clients, so this was the first thing we thought of with this kit. We would love to integrate light as a medium and video mapping into more of our projects and live events.

Can you tell us more about the experience of working with the new kit?

The new kit was really thought through and included everything you need to set up a simple project, even down to the screws for the Electrode Pads and cable management for the back of your piece. We were excited about the simplicity of the kit and the resources online to help bring our idea to life. We did run into a couple of issues with the computer programming side, however, with a few emails to the Bare Conductive team, it was up and running.

What do you think are the capabilities of the new kit and what does this technology bring to interactive design?

It opens up an affordable and feasible solution to interactive art installations. This kit makes it easier for designers and artists to bring their ideas to life so we can spend more time on the idea, images and content, and less time on the technical production. This helps us to focus more on the interactivity that the visitors want.

How long did it take to build this wall?

It took about a day to paint the mural and about 2-3 days make the animation and to program everything. The physical set up only took a few hours, but there was a lot of testing and alignment to get it perfect.

You’ve also added augmented reality to your installation. How does projection mapping work, did you use any specific programme?

Projection mapping, in our case, is the art of using light has a medium for our murals. We first think about what we want the experience to be like, what the mural is going to convey and then how the projection mapping will play into this. With the use of animations, a projector, and the MadMapper software we mapped all the touch points and we were able to project objects and words to help with our storytelling process.

The kit comes with lots of components. Which one would you say was the most important for your needs?

We have been working with Bare Conductive products for a while, and one improvement for us is to use the Electrode Pads, which are super easy to connect to the back of the mural as well as to the Touch Board, sometimes we faced challenges for running long cables and losing conductivity.

Did you face any challenges and how did you overcome them?

The main challenge was to scale the animations to the right size on MadMapper, or any other mapping software that you might use. We wanted the lettering animation to fit perfectly and that was tricky to accomplish, however it was trial and error. Once we found the right scale, we did not move the projector until we were done with the project. Also, getting more into the Arduino coding side was a learning experience for us.

These smart materials offer the opportunity to add interactivity everywhere. What do you think makes Bare Conductive’s technology competitive and appealing?

We have used other products on the market however Bare Conductive and especially the Touch Board has been the most reliable and most versatile for our projects. We have been able to use different components from Bare Conductive to create unique interactive installations for our clients and offer an immersive experience to the audience.

What advice would you give to creatives, technologists and artists interested in using the Interactive Wall Kit?

Don’t be afraid to try new things! Projection mapping, at this scale, is new for us and we are learning a lot by just testing and experimenting with new products.

Are there any upcoming projects that the Interactive Wall Kit would be part of?

We have several interactive projects in the pipeline and now that we’ve tested this kit, we are able to offer our clients projection mapping at a more affordable rate with this technology, something that will also open the way for deeper interaction with the audience.

Images & Video: Wall and Wall