The 'Mediterranean 2050' exhibition invites visitors on a space-time journey into the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, showcasing its ecosystem while raising awareness of the environmental challenges it faces today and in the future. One of the exhibition’s highlights is a cachalot sculpture brought to life with interactive projections, powered by the Modulo Kinetic media server from Modulo Pi and the technical expertise of ID Scènes.
Spread across more than 1,000 m², this new large-scale immersive experience celebrates the richness of marine heritage while raising awareness of pressing environmental issues.
The exhibition unfolds across four scenographic zones combining artistic installations, large-scale projections, and interactive systems.
Creative studio Dreamed By Us was entrusted with the artistic direction of several spaces, and partnered with AV provider ID Scènes to install a sculpture of a sperm whale. 3D-printed and standing nearly 5 metres tall, the sculpture serves as a canvas for an interactive projection triggered by visitor movement.
To meet the challenges of this technically complex setup, ID Scènes used 4 x Epson video projectors, all powered by the Modulo Kinetic media server platform from Modulo Pi. One Kinetic Designer workstation and one V-Node server with six outputs manage the content and real-time interactivity.
The video mapping on the sculpture was achieved by importing the 3D model of the cachalot into the Kinetic Designer interface. “The whale’s highly detailed shape required a hybrid approach, using partial 3D calibration followed by manual warping to achieve a perfect alignment,” explains Quentin Grêlé, media server operator and visual designer at ID Scènes.
Interactivity is based on Hokuyo LiDAR sensors integrated into the base of the cachalot sculpture. The base is divided into seven zones, each physically equipped with a UST-10LX LiDAR and associated with a specific theme.
Modulo Kinetic’s support for Hokuyo LiDARs means that when a visitor steps into one of the detection zones the content linked to the corresponding theme is automatically triggered and projected onto the sculpture. Once a theme is activated, it is locked until the end of its playback. Only wave-like effects can be triggered simultaneously to ensure a smooth and coherent experience.
Modulo Kinetic also handles additional layers of interactivity in the installation, all based on visitor movement: triggering animated particles that simulate foam, spatialised sound effects, and the display of short texts and key figures about the Mediterranean’s history.