Projection Mapping: Factory International Makes The Case For Projection In Immersive Art
Factory International in Manchester uses projection alongside LED displays in artistic productions, with technical director Paul Moore highlighting its ability to blend into performances; examples include Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's Atmospheric Memory and a collaboration with Laurie Anderson.
As LED displays become increasingly common in live entertainment and immersive environments, Factory International, the Manchester cultural organization that operates Aviva Studios and produces the Manchester International Festival, is demonstrating why projection continues to play an important role in artistic productions, invidis.com reports.
Paul Moore, technical director at the organization, describes one of projection's strengths as its ability to blend into a production rather than call attention to itself. "Projection allows video to live in a different world," he said. "It allows it to stop being about what the medium is and about what the art is." Where an LED display stays a physical element of a stage or installation, projection can make moving imagery part of the surrounding architecture, scenery, or performance space.
The organization uses both technologies, choosing whichever approach best supports an artist's vision. It also runs development programs that let artists experiment with projection mapping, live video, and emerging digital technologies before taking ideas to larger productions. "We've often had artists that will try and challenge what we're doing with projection, what we're doing with video, or any technology really," Moore said.
The venue's projection inventory, supplied by AV integrator Adlib, includes Panasonic 4K laser projectors suited to productions with varying spatial and technical demands. The design process took equipment noise and heat output into account, particularly in installations where projectors sit near audiences.
One illustration of the approach is "Atmospheric Memory," an immersive installation by artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer created for the Manchester International Festival. Built from stacked shipping containers, it combined projected imagery, interactive digital environments, and a wall of pixelated smoke able to display images. The production later toured internationally, with its projection setup adapted to different venues. Factory International has also worked with artist Laurie Anderson on a production combining electronic music, live camera feeds, green-screen technology, and early AI-generated content. Both projects show digital imagery becoming part of an artistic experience rather than serving merely as a visual backdrop.
"Projection for me will bring the art forward," Moore said. "You can add texture, atmosphere and detail without it becoming the focus of the piece."