Although the Hala Stulecia (Polish for Centennial Hall) was constructed centuries after the Pantheon in Rome, it still remains the largest built reinforced concrete structure. With an interior diameter of 69m (226 feet), the Hala Stulecia was completed in 1913 in Wroclaw, Poland. The origins of the building describe its purpose as a celebratory structure for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Leipzig (Napoleon's defeat). To give a sense of the mass of the structure, the central interior space possesses a seating capacity for 7,000 people.

Asked to create a permanent installation for the new museum of Architecture (residing in the Hala Stulecia) Romain Tardy and Thomas Vaquie of AntiVJ created a visually stimulating experience to fully embrace the architecture and scale of this 100 year old space. The primary goal was 'to create a vision of a future with no precise time reference; a timeless future.' The installation creates a strong connection between the historical icons of the building and what we know as architecture today, thus turning an iconic structure into a transitional architectural piece and dynamic projection mapping masterpiece.

O (Omicron) © AntiVJ

The team was inspired by 20th century science fiction (films such as Tron and Metropolis) as the basis for their design direction to create a timeless connection to cinema works. Original sketches of the building further served as the foundation for this new screenplay experience of visual and physical weight. The careful study to understand how the digitally created sounds bounce around the dome and echo back served to create a supernatural feel. The visual light and acoustic sound highlights and reflects the physical mass of the space and weight of the concrete structure above. 

The Hala Stulecia’s architecture was already simple and minimal in design and texture which provided the ideal backdrop for this screenplay installation and its cleanliness allowed the designers to apply different textures and icons which resonate with other periods of architectural history.   The music (composed by Thomas Vaquie) also needed careful consideration in order to support the visual imagery and the highlight the permanent structure. We hope you enjoy this masterpiece which bridges history with technology celebrating this iconic architectural structure. Sit back, look up and experience Omicron with us.

DIRECTED by Romain Tardy & Thomas Vaquié
ARCHITECTURE by Max Berg (1913)
VISUALS by Romain Tardy, Guillaume Cottet
MUSIC composed by Thomas Vaquié
2D/3D MAPPING by Joanie Lemercier, Romain Tardy
MANAGEMENT & PRODUCTION: Nicolas Boritch

The making of O (Omicron), © AntiVJ