Fresh Thinking

Digital signage has come along way. Its role as a digital billboard remains important but increasingly digital signage is seen as a way to delight and inspire. The signage installation into this Melbourne commercial building is an amazing example of what’s capable with some imagination and, of course, technical prowess in taking care of a (sub) millimetre perfect installation.

The foyer of Freshwater Place has been transformed into a contemporary and inspiring space and is one of the most striking in Melbourne. The use of colour and water in the signage content creates an energy and excitement that can’t help but draw visitors (new and old) into the building. The Digital Artwork Display provides a modern business lounge with state-of-the-art technology and an immersive art experience, where both occupants and visitors can meet and work

BIG CANVAS

ENGIE were engaged by JLL property to create the digital artwork display using Siliconcore LED to showcase immersive content and create a high tech but nature-driven aesthetic.

The artwork had to encompass functional requirements including, LED video wall display, a display interface unit for image processing, LED time module control and remote monitoring, a digital artwork content playback server capable of the graphics’ intense digital content, and a control interface. The 11m x 3m display’s aspect ratio of 32:9 presented a challenging canvas for content creation. 

NO SIGN IS AN ISLAND

The artwork itself is an interesting story. It’s produced in real time, responding to waves, tides and currents from an island cluster off the coast of Australia. The content PC reads the tidal information in real time and converts it into the artwork. As the wind blows, waves ripple across the screen and during high tide, the islands are covered with water.

Naturally, the big screen can also play the Melbourne Cup (and the like) when called upon via a digital set-top box. The LED cabinets are mounted onto a custom aluminium-extruded mounting frame to ensure sub-millimetre accuracy required for an extremely flat image without visible cabinet lines.

To support the video art, a sound system with 25 speakers across three separate zones and eight audio channels, allow for optimal tuning and configuration. The audio resides on a QSC DSP platform supporting network audio. Control of the video wall takes place via a Crestron control system with a wireless touch panel that technicians can access from the foyer. All head-end equipment is powered by a 2kW uninterrupted power supply, allowing soft power downs in case of power outages, helping extend the life of the system.