The design narrative
At the very top of Copenhagen museum the installation The Copenhagen Panorama is located offering a serene and very different and tactile experience of Copenhagen. The installation is designed by JAC studios architects and features two component horizontal lighting by Fortheloveoflight, a data wall by dark matters and a 23 sqm big model of Copenhagen casted in jesmonite that reacts to Lazerlight.
The Copenhagen Panorama is a poetic universe that speaks to all senses. A universe, where the city’s heartbeat and life unfold through a play of light, laser projections, animations, as well as a dynamic soundscape of a 24-hour cycle in Copenhagen. Surrounded by the city’s panoramic horizon, visitors can gather around the elaborate elliptical casted model of Copenhagen’s centre.
The city model and the light
The model allows for exploration and an element of surprise, as well as opportunities to identify the characteristic buildings and city squares that make Copenhagen the Copenhagen we know. The oval model is surrounded by the panorama wall consisting of 32 embossed panels giving depth and a soft feel to the horizon. The panorama wall includes 2 dynamic lighting solutions that has different functions. The integrated top-light references the daylight and is bathing the central model in diffuse cool daylight. The integrated horizon light mimics the low evening or early morning sun and grazes the model and sculps the facades of the buildings of the model.
The total experience is condensed to a 24 minute multi-sensory experience including data-wall, laser light and integrated artificial panorama light. During these 24 minutes, the room evolves to support the cycle. The panorama wall that frames the room changes through a series of lightscapes, each based on Scandinavia’s unique daylight. Just as life in Copenhagen has always taken place in the long bright evenings and low crisp winter sun, the Copenhagen model lives in these same lighting scenarios – recreated in an abstract form.
Technical design
A mirroring disc above the model extends the visitor’s experience to multiple perspectives. The disc conceals 8 lasers and 12 DMX-controllable pin-spots. These can be activated by visitors from a button panel, highlighting landmarks and revealing historical layers of information about the expansion of the city over time. The lighting in the space is constantly changing and everything is controlled through 16 bit DMX allowing for smooth fades and slow unnoticeable transitions in the lighting.
