The surface as part of the image
Projection gives an existing surface another state. A facade, translucent structure, interior or temporary envelope can carry image while its material, depth and geometry remain present. The image is shaped around the surface, allowing architecture and content to read as one composition.
Refractiv approaches projection as part of a wider spatial media practice. The work begins with the meaning the project needs to carry, then develops the visual language, spatial sequence and relationship between image, light, sound and people.
UNFCCC COP21, French Embassy Bangkok
For the UN Climate Change Conference, a projection mapping installation on the French Embassy in Bangkok raised awareness on environmental sustainability. Computational design recreated natural patterns across the building facade, transforming the embassy into a public visual statement on climate issues. The video projection mapping used the full architectural surface as a canvas for procedural animation.
From brand narrative to spatial sequence
Brand ethos and architectural character guide the pace, colour, form and transformation of the content. Projection can build anticipation, reveal a product, animate a facade or draw people into an immersive world.
The experience is considered across viewpoints and through time. Each scene contributes to a wider arc, from the first encounter with the surface to the moment the image resolves or the architecture changes state.
Rolls-Royce Jinbao, Beijing
The Rolls-Royce boutique on Jinbao Street in Beijing needed its interior concealed before the opening ceremony. Video projection mapping transformed the storefront into a visual reveal surface. Procedural 3D content gave the boutique a shifting exterior presence, with the projection acting as both concealment and brand statement. The content ran generatively, never playing the same sequence twice.
Real time and generative content
Generative systems allow projection to remain active as a living visual field. Motion, data, sound or presence can influence the composition while the visual grammar preserves the character of the work.
This approach connects projection with the wider capabilities of the practice: media architecture, immersive environments, sensing, responsive light and real time system design.
Lexus A-Un, Milan Design Week
Projection mapping across a translucent structure at Milan Design Week created an immersive spatial experience for Lexus. Biometric signals drove the projected content in real time, linking visitor presence to light, colour, and animated form. The projection surface was the architecture itself, with mapped content responding to occupants in real time.
Creative and technical direction
Refractiv develops concept, content and mapping strategy, defines the relationship between projectors and surfaces and provides technical direction through delivery. Installation partners receive the geometry, placement information and system requirements needed to realise the work. Final mapping and visual tuning are supervised on site.
