A giant pop-up book moves under DMX control
An interactive installation deploys three motorized double pages with synced video mapping.
Gallery
The project
A giant pop-up book was designed for the Office Français de la Biodiversité as part of an event installation. The main challenge lay in achieving precise synchronization between the mechanical movement of the pages and the visual projections. The structure automatically deploys three 3D double-page spreads and one fixed page from a technical base. A video mapping system projects graphic animations directly onto the cut-out shapes while in motion. A single team handles the mechanical engineering, programming, and on-site scenographic adjustments.
- Video mapping
- Interactive installation
- Event activation
- Electronics & sensors
- Video projection
- MadMapper
- Raspberry Pi
- DMX
- OSC
- Resolume
The challenge
Success relied on millimeter precision. The mechanical opening of the three motorized double pages had to be synchronized with dynamic light projections. If the reinforced paper moves with a tenth of a second delay, the illusion collapses. The system had to operate autonomously and continuously throughout the entire duration of the event.
Our approach
We built a monumental automaton mounted on a concealed technical base. The book deploys three motorized double pages and one fixed double page, revealing architectural and urban settings in relief. Onto these physical structures, our video mapping covers each edge with animated light effects tailored to the pop-ups' kinematics. For this event activation, a central control system drives the video projectors and DMX controllers over a dedicated local network. Mechanics and visual streams run together, with no latency.
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