Digital media design studio Exhibitry created an immersive art installation to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Purdue University’s College of Engineering using LED video technology from SNA Displays. Exhibitry designed the digital experience, located in the Herman & Heddy Kurz Atrium at Armstrong Hall, to represent the engineering college’s three core virtues: innovation, ingenuity and vibrancy. The videowall uses anamorphic creative to feature three of the most consequential Purdue engineers: Neil Armstrong, Amelia Earhart and Lillian Gilbreth, the “First Lady of Engineering.”
“[We designed] the content to play with your sense of perspective, so from a particular viewing angle, you see depth and shadow and highlights that bring objects off the screen,” says Tracy Evans, president of Exhibitry. “It’s an engineered approach to animation that uses digital magic tricks to affect visual perception and bring dimensionality to what is actually 2D content.”
From a certain perspective in the hall’s atrium, indicated by a sticker on the floor, viewers can relive Armstrong’s “small step” on the moon, watch Earhart depart a hangar in her Lockheed 10-E Electra, immerse themselves in Gilbreth’s groundbreaking motion-tracking studies, and experience John M. Atalla’s many inventions, including the metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), the most frequently manufactured device in history. Peppered between these animations are content pieces unique to the school’s College of Engineering, such as Purdue AI Racing’s autonomous race car and Purdue Space Program’s rocket launch.
Courtesy / SNA Displays
Purdue’s Innovative LED Wall by SNA Displays Showcases Legacy, Technology & Versatility
“It’s a celebration of Purdue’s commitment to innovation, discovery and storytelling,” Evans says. “For students and faculty, especially those in engineering, it’s a real-world example of how disciplines intersect, where the visual arts, computer science, and structural engineering meet. The content of the wall honors Purdue’s legacy while highlighting the latest advances and how the university is shaping the future. If you’re part of the Purdue community, this wall is something you won’t want to miss.”
Mounted flush within the brick wall above a doorway, the 1.8 mm BRILLIANT Interior LED displays measures 7’9” high x 13’9” wide (1,260 x 2,240 pixels) and processes more than 2.8 million pixels. The content management system was designed to receive live input for presentations during events, and it integrates audio outputs for event speakers and Exhibtry’s content.
“While designed primarily to play pre-scheduled content, the CMS design and inclusion of live input panels allows for a wide range of experiences, including live events,” says William Kelly, senior project manager at SNA Displays. “It’s an excellent example of the versatility of LED display technology when paired with the right backend system and software. You can adapt it to just about any situation, giving the end user options they may not have even thought of at first.”
Digital Dreams provided LED installation services.
