A Pool Party and 65,000 ping pong balls gives reason to have fun in a pool. UrbanDaddy challenged Red Paper Heart to create a memorable interactive experience in water. The plan was to create animations that party goers could swim through. Initially they had no idea how to make this a reality.
Pools are not exactly the most projection ready surface, and initial brainstorms produced many more challenges than they had anticipated. In researching a solution, they had to overcome the fact that projection doesn’t work on the surface of water, it becomes distorted if you project through it, and pool parties are notorious for more standing than swimming. To make something truly interactive, they needed to get everyone in that pool!
Red Paper Heart reacted as any normal creative would, and promptly put in an order for 65,000 ping pong balls, enough to cover the entire surface of the pool. To go with the new screen, an application was created which mapped to the pool and displayed a floating river of graphics, pulled by an invisible tide. Audio reactive visuals bumped along with the various dj’s and musical acts taking place poolside. The tactile quality of swimming through ping pong balls, combined with animated colors and light created an interactive event worth telling stories about.
Credits:
Art: Zander Brimijoin
Code: Charlie Whitney
Swimming: Aqualillies
Client & Partners: UrbanDaddy