Outremont, Quebec, Canada
Opal is an interactive experimental installation that explores the relationship of the micro, macro and the in between, carefully equipped with a custom designed interactive flashlight where participants unveil an organic universe that takes them into an almost meditative state.
In this immersive experience, the visual and musical ambiance influence one another and form a singular ecosystem, sensitive to movement and light.
The word opal refers to the energy, interconnectivity and iridescence of the world created for the experience, somewhere between outer space and underwater, and universes both known and unknown.
It has been designed to awaken curiosity, encourage discovery, and evoke emotion.
For all the above, the OPAL Interactive Experimental Installation has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Good Design Award from The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The desire was to transform audiences into active participants, while offering them a contemplative pause.
What started as an R&D project in the Gentilhomme LAB took on a life of its own, rapidly transforming into a scalable multi-user interactive experience.
Using interactive flashlights, participants illuminate the on-screen visuals, which influences the soundtrack, like a musical instrument, resulting in a chain reaction of the senses.
From a technological perspective, the detectable flashlights leverage Gentilhomme’s bespoke tracking software. What makes them particularly innovative is their ability to be individually tracked in 3D across three axes, enhancing the overall realism of the experience.
The installation is significantly scalable and can accommodate various venues, screen sizes, while simultaneous tracking numerous devices.
Project: OPAL Interactive Experimental Installation
Designers: Gentilhomme Studio
Design Team: Thibaut Duverneix, Guillaume Cardell, Mathieu Léger, Lucie Brillouet, Marouane Sahbi, Étienne Garon-Vincent, François A de l’Isle, Maxime Roux, and Maude Blais
Client: Gentilhomme Studio
