The annual RiverRocks Festival is known for encouraging people to leave their televisions, computers and smart phones behind for a few hours to experience the fresh-air lifestyle that makes Chattanooga a premiere outdoor destination. However, during this year’s festival, the organizers are going to use technology to bring RiverRockers an eye-popping, jaw-dropping visual experience.
Picture the Hunter Museum of American Art at night. Now imagine colored lasers illuminating every inch of the façade as music begins to play. So far, this is nothing special. Now picture the outside of the building unfolding like a Decepticon in a Transformers movie. Things are starting to get interesting. Now imagine water rising up inside the museum, and vibrant tropical fish swimming past the windows. And the show is just getting underway. Never before seen in Tennessee, the extraordinary illusory light show RiverRocks will bring to Chattanooga will combine music and enhanced 3D projection technology to create mind-boggling visual effects, says Jonathan Susman, RiverRocks spokesperson.
“The creators of the show take a building and digitally map out every nook and cranny, and then project the image back onto the building using huge, high-powered projectors. Once they do that, they can manipulate the image any way they want.” Manipulation of the historic Chattanooga landmark could include ivy growing up its columns, buckets of paint dripping down its brick walls and shadows dancing across its surface, Susman says.
Full Spectrum, a production company located in Stone Mountain, Ga., is creating and producing the show. Since large-scale 3D projection was introduced in Amsterdam last year, it’s been seen in only a handful of cities around the world. Steve Carroll, director of business development at Full Spectrum, hints that the Hunter Museum show is going to push the boundaries of the technology. “We’re going to do things in Chattanooga that haven’t been done before. It’s going to be spectacular,” he says.
Full Spectrum, which has been involved in the creation and production of the Lasershow Spectacular at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia for more than 15 years, spent nearly a year working on the engineering and logistics required to make the multi-dimensional mapping projection technology that will be seen in Chattanooga a reality. For Stone Mountain, Full Spectrum designed a show that creates the illusion that parts of the mountain are experiencing dramatic events, such as cracks developing on its surface, explosions, and water bursting through the rock. These CGI events are intertwined with traditional laser elements.
“We’re always striving to create the best possible production,” says Full Spectrum president Paul Creasy. “To that end, we’re always looking for new, creative ways to approach our shows and push them forward with cutting edge technologies.” The October 7 show will launch the final weekend of RiverRocks 2011. The free event will begin at 7:30 p.m. with a 90-minute concert by Michael Kaeshammer, a Canadian boogie-woogie pianist, vocalist, composer, and arranger this year. The classically trained Kaeshammer performed at Nightfall with his trio, but in October, he’ll be bringing his entire six-piece outfit, complete with horns. One music critic calls Kaeshammer a “must-see live act.”
“The one musical bright spot last night was jazz pianist Michael Kaeshammer and his trio. Their opening set offered up a high-energy display of fine musicianship propelled forward with boogie-woogie force. Kaeshammer has piano technique to burn, and has an acrobatic way with a grand piano,” wrote John Terauds of the Toronto Star in his review of a concert featuring multiple performers. Bernard Perusse of the Montreal Gazette calls Kaeshammer “an R&B hound” in his review of Kaeshammer’s new self-titled CD release.
“The double-time rhythm and sassy horns of fast-and-fabulous opener ‘Rendezvous’ state the case with unprecedented eloquence. Pop often takes the center stage, while jazz rarely gets forgotten for long, but there’s a more joyous, authoritative swing to this disc than we’ve heard on any of the pianist’s previous work.”
The following day will bring RiverRocks 2011 to a close at Coolidge Park with exhibits and entertainment. During the day, visitors will be able to browse an “eco village” while listening to a number of local groups performing on the Coolidge Park stage. The day will end with a performance by country rock legends The Jayhawks and the lighting of a massive fire sculpture near Walnut Street Bridge. RiverRocks sponsors (i.e., the ones making the 3D projection show at Hunter Museum and the Kaeshammer concert possible) include BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Unum, Michelob Ultra, New Belgium Brewery, Chambliss Bahner & Stophel, Fidelity Trust, Coca Cola Bottling Company, Volkswagen, and Big River.
To view videos of building projection technology, visit www.projectiononbuildings.com. To stream music by Kaeshammer, visit www.kaeshammer.com.