Client

Overview

Marathon Oil, an independent exploration and production company in the energy sector, commissioned a dynamic digital showpiece for its headquarters lobby in Houston, Texas. Owner-representative Sensory Interactive designed the interactive digital media sculpture using LED technology from SNA Displays’ BRILLIANT™ Interior display series.

The two flag-like LED displays of the digital sculpture employ a tight 1.2 mm pixel pitch, allowing for optimal viewing at very close proximity. Despite totaling only 40 square feet of display canvas, the pixel density is such that the pair of quadrilateral screens are packed with 2.4 million pixels.

The geode-inspired structure is clad in non-reflective aluminum with a marble stone veneer and was built to appear as a monolith, a single unit with no apparent joints. Furthermore, the lattice-like frame appears different to viewers when observed from various angles. For example, the screens appear to be on the same spot along the z-axis when viewed straight on, but moving to the side reveals that they are offset. The forced perspective change encourages visitors to contemplate the piece from various vantage points.

Goals

The digital display blends art and advanced motion capture technology that responds to visitors as they move through the space. The art piece, whose form draws inspiration from crystal shapes found in geology, passively relays foot traffic data, allowing screen content to adjust dynamically. However, users can also actively interact with the piece through gesture tracking to explore Marathon Oil’s history, learn about staff, and view a changing catalogue of content types such as branded content, ambient/artistic content, and community content.

Process

Custom fabricator CRĒO Industrial Arts designed and built the sculpture according to Sensory Interactive’s design concept. Digital signage software development company Sedna provided media management devices used to control the sculpture’s interactive motion capture technology.

Additional Information

One of the pennant-style screens is 1,980 pixels high by 960 pixels wide at its highest column and widest row; the other display is 1,440 pixels high at the tallest column by 800 pixels wide at the widest row.