Norwegian AV supplier, FotoPhono was responsible for the AV installation throughout the Norway Pavilion at this year’s Shanghai World Expo. A Medialon Control System was chosen for the pavilion that was constructed with 15 model trees made from Norwegian pine and Chinese bamboo.
The pavilion shelters four different areas: the Coast, the Urban forest, the Waterfall/Fjord and the Arctic.
In the daytime, specific musical moods emphasised the themes of each of the pavilion’s areas. While walking through the pavilion, visitors could experience the subtle changing nuances of the music piece while watching themed video presentations. At night, northern lights shows were staged on the semi-transparent roof where the audience could enjoy unique video projections and concerts against the backdrop of lights from the Arctic Circle.
For the video and lighting system, one Medialon Manager Pro Show and Media Control software, along with one Medialon Showmaster ST embedded show controller, were controlling 28 Dataton Watchout video playback PCs. The GrandMA UltraLight desk cues were triggered from Medialon Manager’s timeline.
For the audio system, the audio playback server ran a SoundMan-Server software by Richmond Sound Design. Multichannel playback with full audio matrix, as well as two separate time code generators, kept audio, video and lighting in accurate sync. The system ran four stereo pairs of continuously looping music, which was distributed to the four main areas of the venue.
For the video shoot, a dedicated Medialon Manager application was developed. This application controlled the playback of a Watchout sequence of background images for the video screens and eight tracks of session music playback as well as camera master time code. The application also included the ability to add 20 minutes extra offset to the camera master time code for each take. A number of pre-selected start points in the music score allowed the operator to start recording at any time line position, instantly syncing screen images, audio tracks and the video cameras.
The entire pavilion was a powerful sensory experience, using a combination of visual, tactile, auditory, and physical stimuli to create scenographic, spatial sequences. The Norwegian Pavilion has welcomed more than 3 million visitors during the entire World Expo.