GOUVIEUX CITY, FRANCE – Inspiration is ignited when past, present and future depart from their normal order and fuse together to form a swirling cauldron of creative ideas. Evidence of this can be seen every day at Campus Serge Kampf Les Fontaines, a XIXth Century château nestled in a wooded area 57 km north of Paris. Here in this centuries old setting business leaders from throughout Europe gather surrounded by the most modern and advanced technical communications and analytic tools to invent new solutions to the issues of today and tomorrow.

Helping to liberate the spirit of discovery in campus guests, and encourage them to explore heretofore unknown possibilities, is “Let’s Dare,” a new immersive video and lighting environment created by STARDUST Group with help from CHAUVET Professional ÉPIX fixtures.

“We have been the technical service provide to Serge Kampf Campus for some time,” said STARDUST Group Development Director Eric Matouk. “Through our association with the campus we work on many events for CAC 40 companies, so we must always be innovative and forceful, which suits our own spirit as an organization. For the “Let’s Dare” experience we placed guests in a 180° video environment that evokes a ‘virtual reality’ sensation, but without the glasses. We want to engage our audience while still conveying a sense of real life!”

STARDUST Group extended the impact of this immersive video wall by installing 60 ÉPIX Strip IP fixtures. The company’s team, which included technical director Tony Gueniffet, site supervisor Cédric Cousin, audiovisual managers Tony Chauvin and Sebastien Parent, and systems operator Florimon, positioned 30 of the one-meter RGB LED linear fixtures in various positions on either side of the video wall. The strips were powered by three IP drivers.

“Immersing the audience in a video display in a 460-seat auditorium is big undertaking,” said Matouk. “We had to offer something other than projection or a LED wall. The ÉPIX IP was a clear choice because it is elegantly designed, but above all we could use it to broadcast video, so it became part of the panorama.”

Describing the ÉPIX fixtures as “actors in the show,” Matouk notes that they were tightly synchronized with the 180° video wall. This enhanced the effect of “Let’s Dare,” enveloping the audience in a field of richly varied and evocative images. The brightness and quick display rate of the ÉPIX strips were key to coordinating them with the wall, according to Matouck.

“We configured the ÉPIX strips in 300 parameters,” he said. “They broadcast all content in real time with incredible speed. This contributed to a show that was elegant, harmonious and original. As with every service, we put all our technique and creativity to the benefit of the customer. The result was amazing.”

The ÉPIX Strip IP’s ease of installation was an important feature for Matouk. “Installation is fast with this product,” he said. “Also, the IP Driver is easy to use, which facilitates network configuration.”

By freeing up installation time, the ÉPIX Strip IP allowed STARDUST team to focus more energy on expanding creative horizons. In so doing, it perfectly reflected the spirit that draws thought leaders to Campus Serge Kampf Les Fontaines.