Digital Projection transforms Dubai’s Khawaneej Mosque

UAE:

The Khawaneej Mosque in Dubai was brought to life thanks to Digital Projection’s Titan and M-Vision laser projectors during Ramadan. Throughout the month of Ramadan, every night between 8pm–2am from 27 March–10 April, the Khawaneej Mosque provides audiences with a video mapping projection loop animation by Digital Projection’s partner, Artabesk. This show was a part of Ramadan In Dubai Reflection, which was organised by Dubai Tourism. The event featured impressive projection mapping shows, accompanied by lantern-lit streets.

In order to overcome the challenges posed by Dubai’s light pollution, the installation required high brightness levels alongside high-resolution capabilities without compromising colour accuracy. To achieve this, Artabesk turned to Digital Projection’s esteemed Titan and M-Vision laser projector ranges.

Artabesk used three Titan Laser 37000 WU projectors, complemented by seven M-Vision 23000 WU. “One of the most crucial part for us was to ensure the mapping was perfectly aligned, and the brightness was high enough,” stated Mounir Harbaoui, architectural projection designer and founder of Artabesk. “In order to create a stunning visual experience for the audience, the projectors needed to boast impressive brightness levels. This is the reason we chose these specific models from Digital Projection.”

The Khawaneej Mosque mapping installation featured a strategic placement of seven projectors positioned all around the holy place. Artabesk placed two projectors in a portrait position to project to the minaret, with the remaining projectors set in landscape mode.

The projected content, created by Artabesk, was a blend of vibrant colours, geometric patterns and outlines of architectural details, all carefully choreographed with precision. Harbaoui emphasised the importance of the projectors to the creation process, which demanded a great attention to detail: “The key was in the intricate elements, which is why we needed to have high resolution visuals.”

Artabesk mapped the Khawaneej Mosque using very small layers of images, resulting in intricate animations of various colours and patterns. A Dataton WATCHOUT media server, capable of handling high-resolution media files, enabled each projected image to cover an area of approximately 20m x 13m. Given the sanctity of Ramadan and the mosque, Artabesk decided against accompanying music, focusing only on the imagery.

The audience was said to be amazed by the captivating video mapping show delivered by Digital Projection’s projection technology. “We are really proud of the result and the positive feedback we got from the spectators,” concluded Harbaoui. “The stunning projection and colourful, animated patterns truly brought the Khawaneej Mosque to life.”