59 sets of Panasonic laser projectors liven up “Story of the Forest” @ National Museum of Singapore

Panasonic System Solutions Asia Pacific (PSSAP) is the “”Official Projection Partner” for “Story of the Forest”, the latest immersive installation at Glass Rotunda, National Museum of Singapore (NMS). Using 59 units of PT-RZ670BE (6,500 lumen, 1-Chip DLP™ WUXGA) laser projectors, this is the largest delivery[1] of 6,500 lumen laser projectors to a single museum.

The National Museum of Singapore is the oldest museum in Singapore established back in 1887. It constantly seeks innovative ways in presenting historical exhibits and art installations to its audience. NMS has commissioned teamLab, an artist collective recognised globally for its artistic creations using digital technologies, to create the large-scale installation, "Story of the Forest" at Glass Rotunda. Opened on 10th December 2016, the installation comprises of 2 parts, one for the corridors featuring a seamlessly connected projection measuring 144m in length and a dome-shaped projection. In the corridor section, visitors can use the dedicated smartphone app "Story of the Forest," to photograph the projected image on flowers and fauna, and gain detailed information on them.

Why Choose Panasonic?

The laser projectors eliminated the need to change lamps and filters for 20,000 hours[2]. When projecting onto irregular-shaped surfaces, images from multiple projectors must be blended together seamlessly to create a single large image. With conventional lamp projectors, when those lamps or filters are replaced during maintenance, the positions of the projectors might be shifted. With Panasonic's laser projectors, such hassle and risks are alleviated. Lamp projectors were also limited in terms of the installation angle due to issues with heat radiation and emission which affect the life expectancy of the lamps. Since laser projectors use laser diodes instead of lamps, they can be installed flexibly at any angle.

PSSAP's System Engineer team was essential in creating this elaborate, beautiful installation. The exhaustive technical support was what set Panasonic apart from the crowd. As the distance from corridor to the screen is different at every point for the whole stretch of corridor, it is difficult to find the correct mounting position for each projector. Hence, the engineers had to simulate extensively using Panasonic’s internal simulation software and also go for site visits to identify the optimised position for the projectors.

Equipment installed

RZ670BE x 59 units

6,500 lumen, 1-Chip DLP™ WUXGA, laser