Stewart Filmscreen’s 5D screen essential to Museum of the Moving Image exhibit

The exhibit, RealTime UnReal, designed by Thomas Soetens and Kora Van den Bulcke of Workspace Unlimited, utilises Stewart Filmscreen’s Silver 5D material to demonstrate the pinnacle of modern 3D capabilities. The installation addresses the fusion of physical and digital space.

The installation employs 2 stereoscopic projections on a double-sided projection screen and game engine software customised by the artists, capturing visitors in the physical space and displaying them in an imaginary world. The virtual world seems to occupy physical space like a sculpture in the museum, an alternate reality floating in midair. Walking around the virtual world alters its viewpoint, reveals impossible perspectives and simultaneous occurrences, and disrupts its architecture. Realtime Unreal challenges visitors to bridge the gap between what their eyes perceive and what their minds believe is unreal.

“Stewart Filmscreen’s Silver 5D screen was a essential component to the exhibit due to its wider viewing cone and increased center to edge brightness uniformity,” states Workspace Unlimited director/leading artist Thomas Soetens.

“The RealTime UnReal exhibit is an immersive, interactive display that encourages visitors to walk around the screen making the ability to have 3D off-axis viewing a necessity for the success of the project. Stewart Filmscreen is the only manufacturer that could deliver the technical innovation, product reliability and professional service needed to ensure that our creative vision could become a reality.”

The installation was commissioned by the Museum of the Moving Image in conjunction with the grand opening of their expanded facility on 15 January 2011. The installation will be on view at the museum for a period of six months after which it may travel to other venues.

“Stewart Filmscreen is delighted to be a part of such an innovative installation that allows us to push the boundaries of 3D technology to create an exciting and thought-provoking display for visitors,” says Stewart Filmscreen director of North American commercial sales Don Parenta.

“Silver 5D (3D + 2D) screen is unlike any competitive or previously available fabric in that it offers industry leading passive 3D polarisation while maintaining outstanding performance for 2D sources. We specified this material for this amazing application as it has better uniformity, less hot spotting and a significantly wider viewing cone.”