Large-scale video wall installations afford artists and designers new research opportunities to explore engaging spaces, digital place making, non-linear data narratives, and diffused transitions. Advances in screen technology have brought forward the development of modular high resolution, super bright OLED screens. However, there are few exhibition management tools capable of interfacing to these screens and few effective software tools for processing at this scale.
The Mirvac Video wall, installed in the main foyer of Melbourne’s 664 Collins Street, is currently Australia’s largest, high-resolution (12m x 2720 x 2400 pixels) public video wall. Pedestrian counters have already logged over 5.3million people passing the screen on their way to and from Southern Cross station.
Research involved developing a diverse range of techniques for GPU rendering including the formation of high-end GPU computing solutions to bring live data feeds both into Unity3D and Max (GEN). Randomized processes include; stochastic/probability-based, algorithmic, predictive, fuzzy, shared or multi-agent, pattern techniques; fractals, Lindenmeyer and Mandelbrot renderings, iterative techniques (artificial life, biological systems, behavioural models, social interactions) and data injection techniques (polling real-time web data, historical trend sets, map data, and astronomical data).