"Eos: The First Dawn" at Carmel's Palladium - CODAworx

“Eos: The First Dawn” at Carmel’s Palladium

Client: City of Carmel & Carmel Redevelopment Commission

Location: Carmel, IN, United States

Completion date: 2023

Project Team

Chief Innovation Officer

Kevin Winkler

Blockhouse Studios

Director of Development

Henry Mestetsky

Carmel Redevelopment Commission

Overview

The City of Carmel and the CRC proudly present “EOS: The First Dawn,” a 12-minute projection-mapped art installation by Blockhouse Studios. “Eos” immerses the audience in the ancient mythology of Eos, the Greek goddess of the dawn, and her siblings Helios, the sun god, and Selene, the moon goddess. The installation explores astrology and nature through innovative storytelling, transforming the Palladium with dream-like projections. The building’s Neo-Classical design is enhanced by the stylized light projections inspired by the American Light and Space Movement. The content combines traditional cinematography techniques with digital and practical effects. The ongoing installation features twelve 20,000-lumen Epson projectors mounted on adjacent buildings, ensuring peak performance with state-of-the-art weather-proof enclosures. Carmel and the CRC are thrilled to present this installation with Blockhouse Studios, a production company that specializes in creating unique, breathtaking experiences.

Goals

As projection mapping specialists, Blockhouse knew that the Palladium's limestone facade and classical architecture was the perfect canvas for a complete integration of their studio's artwork, which combines the latest technology in the projection mapping field with elegant artistic design concepts, creating an "art as place" experience. Blockhouse has created architectural cinema at its finest in this immersive light bending show.

Process

Blockhouse worked closely with the CRC and the Mayor's Office throughout the creation process. From early concepts to finished product, the client was invited to be present for filming and other production meetups. Allowing the client a behind the scenes look into the creation process was key to both educating the client and opening up discourse about the direction and impact of the finished film. Blockhouse has developed a custom pipeline specifically for content designers and utilizes new technologies like virtual reality to assist the design team and clients in visualizing these large installations from early animatics to end product deliverables.

Additional Information

The Palladiscope is a one-of-a-kind, custom made viewing system designed to play architectural cinema. Created specifically for the Palladium on Carter Green, it is the machine that consists of the 12 projectors, the software, and all the components that make visual experiences like “Eos: The First Dawn” possible. Just as CinemaScope was an enhanced way to view movies, projecting them at a larger size, the Palladiscope takes that idea even further by moving beyond the screen and onto the physical architecture of the Palladium.