Avec la participation du ministère de la culture
et de la communication – CNC / Dicréam

© 2006-2010 Florent Nicolas Wendling
IDDN.FR.001.370015.000.R.P.2009.000.20000

World Compass 1.0
As World populations move to larger, denser and higher urban centers every day,
World Compass scans the divergences of the cities and what makes these metropolises so unique.
The installation presents a vision on contemporary urbanity on a global scale, through tens of thousands
of time-mosaics of architecture, landscape and people in motion.

World Compass 1.0 presents Shanghai in a three-year night journey. From landmarks to harbors,
factories, parks and suburbs, the show explores the depths and heights of the city, from dark shades
to dazzling perspectives. World Compass is a quest for signs of change in places colliding with each
other’s and people rushing or suspended in time in the urban landscape.

Installation
World Compass 1.0 is an interactive installation presenting key cities around the World through
a huge photographic database edited as HD films, accessed via a clock / compass / altimeter interface.
Visitors can travel in four dimensions: latitude, longitude, altitude and time. Visitors trigger high definition
films, projected on up to three giant screens, depending on their chosen locations on a multi-touch table
or motion tracking interface.

The Films have been edited from a 15,000-photographs database, each one featuring a special soundtrack
mixing live background sound and custom sound effects with its own unique rhythm, every frame being actually
a photograph. Every film is the genesis of each particular photograph.

A film-only version presents locations and times randomly, featuring constant sequences reordering
in an endless new show, re-edited in real time by computers.

The installation has been presented in the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA Shanghai),
Duolun Museum of Modern Arts (solo show) and others exhibitions in Shanghai and in 2009 & 2010
@ Le Cube Digital Art Center in Paris.

Private shows were also presented on the1400m2 lobby @ Shanghai Royal Meridien in 2009
and @ Shanghai The Nut in 2010 with DJ Undercover.

Three installation set-ups and a large-print photographs exhibition are available:

1 - Time & Geo-Tagged HD Films Installation.
Edited in real time by computers / Sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL.

2 – Multi-Touch Table Interactive Installation.
Touch Table from 0.75m (3.3ft) x 1m (2.5ft) to 1m (3.3ft) x 1.5m (4.9ft) / Sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL.

3 – Motion Tracking Interactive installation.
Floor projection size from 3m (10ft) to 6m (20ft) require high ceiling and mirrored projection system.
Sizes: M, L, XL, XXL.

4 - Large print photographs exhibition.
A 100 to 2000 m2 (300 to 6000 sqft) large prints photo exhibition (20 to 50 150x100cm
and 200x100cm prints and growing) can be presented side by side with the installation.
These prints bring a new perspective to the visitors as the show, based entirely on digital hd films
edited from still photographs, finally reveals its roots.

 

 

Key-Cities
World Compass 1.0 is presented in key cities around the World, one city at a time. Two to three cities being
added every year, new versions will be incremented (2.0, 3.0…) as the show keeps growing and new features added.

The Key-Cities collection is based on strong personalities, colors and flavors in order to bring amazing contrasts
during the “jumps” from cities to cities, but linked on the global landscape: immigration hubs, multicultural metropolis,
large harbors. Cities partnerships will also play an important role in the final selection.

Key-Cities (* to be confirmed):

Africa:
Cairo
Abidjan / Casablanca / Johannesburg*

Americas:
New York / Los Angeles*
Buenos Aires
Rio / Recife*

Asia:
Dubai / Jerusalem*
Calcutta
Shanghai (World Compass 1.0)
Tokyo / Hong Kong*

Europe:
Berlin
Saint Petersburg / Moscow*
London / Paris / Marseilles*

M3 Medium size / motion tracking Installation @ digital art center Le Cube

 

 

 

Photo Exhibition
A photo exhibition can be presented side by side with the installation and brings a new perspective to visitors as the show,
based entirely on digital films edited from stills, finally reveals its photographic roots.

The exhibition, designed to be presented side by side with the installation, is offered in sizes ranging from 100 to 1000 m2
(300 to 3000 sq ft) as of 12/04/10 and will keep growing as more cities are added.

 

Photo exhibition / Shanghai Duolun museum of modern art / Each photograph is related to one film

 

« Crowd of clouds » / 150x100cm

 

« Before the Show » / 150x100cm

 

« Dancers in the Dark » / 150x100cm

 

 

 

Openings
DJs mixing music on the films rhythms and soundtracks bring urban beats to Key-Cities.

 

World Compass 1.0 & DJ Undercover @ The Nut in Shanghai.

 

Touching Shanghai.

 

Multi-Touch Table: 3 computers working together.

 

 

 

Installation Set-Ups

1- Time / Geo-Tagged Films Installation
The Film Installation presents locations and times randomly, featuring constant sequences reordering
in an endless new show edited in real time by computers.

S                                                               M
One HD source -> one 30 to 100” HD plasma.               One HD source -> one HD projection, 1x5k
                                                                                                Lumens, 3 to 5m / 10 to 15ft large screen.
      
  L                                               XL
One screen or panoramic (V shaped) One HD               Panoramic (U shaped) One HD source
source -> two XGA projections, 2x5k lumens.               -> three XGA projections, 3x10k lumens /
5 to 10m / 15 to 30ft large screen.                                          10 to 15m / 30 to 45ft large screen.
      
X XL
Panoramic (cylindrical) two to three HD screens, using Watchout or similar systems.
Two to three HD sources -> two to three HD projections, 2 to 3x10k to 20k lumens / 15 to 20m / 45 to 60ft large screen.

L1 Large size / Film Installation @ Museum of Contemporary Arts / MoCA Shanghai.

 

2- Multi-Touch Table Interactive Installation
Except in Shanghai, requires on location custom built multi-touch table.
We provide all electronics and software and build the table on location.

 S                                                                   M
One HD source -> one 30 to 100” HD plasma                One HD source -> one HD projection, 1x5k lumens
+ 3k lumens multi-touch table.                                                3 to 5m / 10 to 15ft large + 3k multi-touch table.
      
  L                                                  XL
Panoramic (V shaped) One HD source                         Panoramic (U shaped) One HD source
-> two XGA projections, 2x5k lumens /                                    -> three XGA projections, 3x10k lumens /
5 to 10m / 15 to 30ft large screen                               10 to 15m / 30 to 45ft large screen
+ 3k lumens multi-touch table.                                                + 3k lumens multi-touch table.
      
XXL
Panoramic (cylindrical) two to three HD screens, using Watchout or similar systems.
Two to three HD sources -> two to three HD projections, 2 to 3x10k to 20k lumens,
15 to 20m / 45 to 60ft large screen + 10k to 20k Compass interface.

 

M2 / Compass Multi-touch 1.0 @ The Nut

 

Compass Multi-Touch

 

 

 

 

3- Motion Tracking Interactive installation
Requires a minimum 4m / 12ft high ceiling and mirrored projection system.

M

One HD source -> one HD projection, 1x5k lumens
3 to 5m / 10 to 15ft large screen + 3k lumens multi-touch table.
  L                                                  XL
One screen or panoramic (V shaped) One HD source                Panoramic (U shaped) One HD source
-> two XGA projections, 2x5k lumens,                         -> three XGA projections, 3x10k lumens,
5 to 10m s. / 15 to 30ft large screen + 5k Compass.                 10 to 15m / 30 to 45ft large s. + 10k Compass.
           
XXL
Panoramic (cylindrical) two to three HD screens, using Watchout or similar systems.
Two to three HD sources -> two to three HD projections, 2 to 3x10k to 20k lumens,
15 to 20m / 45 to 60ft large screen + 10k to 20k Compass interface.

 

M3 / Motion tracking Installation @ digital art center Le Cube

 

 

 

 

World Compass 1.0 Installation Configurations
HD Films Version includes 116 Time & Geo-Tagged HD Films + Auto Edit software / does not include plasmas / projectors / screens.
Multi-Touch Version includes 116 dynamic HD Films + Interface Software + Electronics / does not include multi-touch table hardware, plasmas /
projectors / screens. (Table custom-built on location: Exhibition site provides hardware, we provide electronics and build the table.)
Motion Tracking Version includes 116 dynamic HD Films + Interface Software + Electronics / does not include plasmas / projectors / screens.
All Versions require on location video projection and audio specialists, 3 dual cores or a multi cores computer, one to five days setup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interface Design
Multi-Touch / Multi-Track: Latitude, Longitude, Altitude & Time tracking.

 

Blue 1.0

 

 

Complication 1.0

© 2006-2010 Florent Nicolas Wendling
IDDN.FR.001.370015.000.R.P.2009.000.20000

 

 

History and Planning
2006 - August 2007
Pre-production.

September 2007
30” TV spot for the City of Shanghai: “Rush”, the official TV spot announcing the first Shanghai eARTS festival.
Produced and directed from a 15.000 photographic database. The spot is aired on TV channels and skyscrapers LED screens.

October – November 2007
“Shanghai Compass Preview” @ MoCA Shanghai / Curator: Victoria Lu
Twenty Shanghai Compass HD films are presented on a twelve meter wide screen at the Museum of Contemporary Arts (MoCA Shanghai.)

April 2008
Crowds of Clouds / Curators: Zane Mellupe & Thomas Charveriat
“Shanghai Compass Preview” HD films and Large Photographic Prints are part of “Clouds of Crowds” exhibition at Island6 Arts Center, Shanghai.

June 2008
Royal Meridien People’s Square / Shanghai / Curator: Michael Wendling
“Shanghai Compass Preview” HD films and 40 large photographic prints are presented during one month in the 1200m2 lobby
@ Royal Méridien on People’s Square, Shanghai.

July 2008
Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art Solo Exhibition / Curator: Ma Yan
Shanghai Compass 1.0 interactive installation & photo exhibition solo show on the two floors of the Duolun
Museum of Modern Arts, Shanghai.

April 2009
Le Cube Digital Art Center / Paris
World Compass Beta / Curator: Florent Aziosmanoff.

February 2010
Le Cube Digital Art Center / Paris
World Compass 1.0 / Curator: Florent Aziosmanoff.

March 2010
The Nut / Shanghai: World Compass 1.0 / Special event with DJ Undercover.

April 2010
Shanghai: Production / Global Shows

May 2010
Shanghai World Expo 2010 & Global Shows

June / December 2010
City 2/6: Scouting / Production / Global Shows

2011
City 3 to City 6 / Scouting / Production / Global Shows

2012
City 6 to City 9 / Scouting / Production / Global Shows

2013
City 9 to City 12 / Scouting / Production / Global Shows

2014
World Compass 12.0

 

 

Team
Design / Production / Direction
Florent Nicolas Wendling

Production Coordination
Jay Xu

Programming
Andy Mei
Yoyo Lo

Assistants
Wan Ting
Mona Au
Yifang Cai
Anita Cao
Chunchun Lu
Andrew Wang

Email
info@world-compass.net

 

 

Biography
Europe
Florent Nicolas Wendling (尼古拉 "Nicolas" in China) is a French/American director and photographer. Born in Provence (France),
he has lived in Marseilles, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hong Kong and Shanghai and worked in more
than twenty-five countries.

Florent started his photography career shooting for Paris news agencies and his television career producing and directing
documentaries and TV series. In 1988, with the help of Eurocreation, he raised eu500.000, produced and directed "Draw me Europe",
a peak prime time TV series shot and broadcast in 13 countries involving for the first time a mix of filmed and computer graphics interviews.
45 European magazines and newspapers followed the two-months shooting with weekly or monthly articles.

America
He moved to New York City in 1992 where he joined two local partners in Metropolis Productions, producing music videos,
(one of them, "Queen's English", featuring Madonna vocals), TV bumpers (ESPN, MTV...), feature film and TV commercial special effects.
Five years later he relocated to Los Angeles where he designed and directed film and TV commercial special effects (Paramount,
Princess cruises...) In 1998, he moved to San Francisco where he designed, directed and produced interactive online and wireless
interface projects (Netscape, AOL...) and a $17-million advertising campaign (Syquest).

His editorial and advertising photography work has been featured in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post,
New York Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, New Yorker, Wired, Chicago Tribune, Rolling Stones, Newsweek and national billboard
campaigns in the US.

Asia
He moved to Asia in 2003 and completed a 3-week photo shoot for Jin Mao Grand Hyatt, the highest hotel in the World
and later on directed "Landmark", a film presenting the skyscraper. In Beijing, Florent shot a special feature
about Commune by the Great Wall, now one of China's modern architectural landmarks.

He also worked with fashion magazines (Oggi, Cosmo…), shooting editorial photography features and later on created "Culture Clash",
a series of thirty photographs: From red to gold, the project presented a collision between traditional Chinese outfits, local paintings
and modern photography. Four exhibitions, part of the Year of France in China, were presented in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.

Florent is now working on films, photography and interactive projects. In November 2007, he presented a new series
of works: Rush, a TV spot announcing eARTS, the first Shanghai digital arts festival, aired on TV and skyscrapers LED screens,
Shanghai Compass Preview, twenty digital HD films presented in the Museum of Contemporary Arts (MoCA Shanghai), in October
& November 2007.

Shanghai Compass 1.0 Interactive Installation + Photo Exhibition have been presented on the two floors of the Duolun Museum
of Modern Arts, Shanghai, in July 2008. In Paris, Le Cube Digital Arts Center presented World Compass Beta in April 2009 and
World Compass 1.0 in February 2010. Upcoming exhibitions will introduce Shanghai and others Key-Cities of the World in new
versions of the show.

 

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