Keys Of Light is an interactive, musical, projection mapping experience for festivals and events. Central to the installation is a digital piano inviting anyone who wants to play to share their song with the crowd. As they play, every note and chord is instantly translated into a visual expression projected onto a nearby building, creating a visceral real-time light show created by the pianist and for all to enjoy. As the installation is real-time and purely in response to the input, a unique show is created every time.

Keys Of Light was developed in collaboration with projection-mapping studio Mr.Beam as a mutual exploration into the intersect and overlap between our disciplines. Since its debut at the Ghent Light Festival in 2018 it has become a popular installation which has travelled the world.

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The departure point for Keys Of Light was to provide a lush and rich audiovisual experience extending the piano but without losing a connection to it. This meant developing a visual language fundamentally ‘percussive’ as the piano is an instrument with hammers. The visuals should always reflect the punchy start of a note while also allowing to reflecting its strength, length and nuance. For each new location MrBeam’s graphic designers did a fantastic job of drawing literally hundreds of unique and architecturally specific shapes for the intended projection surface which the software then picks from. Combined with various styles of expressing a shape it’s ensured that Keys Of Light always feels familiar but will never be the same. 

Throughout its life we have adapted and extended Keys Of Light to fit the needs of each particular location. Be it single or multiple projectors, using unique display surfaces driven by Artnet, a simple collection of DMX lamps or a series moving fixtures, we always tailor Keys Of Light specifically to a location with custom behavior.