84 UDX projection on Tuwaiq mountains
Saudi Arabia is an ambitious nation with a vision! More specific Vision 2030. With this national blueprint they are building on a vibrant society and a thriving economy with a strong focus on tourism and recreation. One of the main projects to realize this is Qiddiya, which is set to be the future capital of entertainment, sports and arts. The iconic entertainment destination, launching in 2023, includes impressive plans for theme parks, water parks and a wide variety of cultural attractions.
A first major realization was revealed to the public with a giant mountainside projection on the Tuwaiq mountains during the closing ceremony for the Dakar rally 2020. Initially, the Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) reached out to Martin Professional with the request to visualize a Qiddiya logo of roughly 100 by 100 meters on the face of the iconic mountain cliff. Martin Professional immediately suggested the use of Barco projectors, knowing their high brightness capabilities and outstanding color performances over a long lifetime have proven to deliver stunning results for previous projects.
An on-site mockup was built for the customer with two UDX projectors to demonstrate the technological capacities. The results were so convincing, and the decision was made to extend the UDX projection coverage to 440 meter wide. The Barco projection mapping specialists of the Middle East offices joined forces with the design team of Martin Professional and executed a comprehensive projection study and a high-resolution laser scanning of the mountain. Ultimately 84 (!) UDX-W40s were used to transform the mountain surface into a dramatic backdrop.
The challenges of projecting a uniform image on a natural canvas with an irregular structure are manifold. The key factor to success was the active collaboration between Barco and the other involved parties throughout the entire journey – teaming up together from prior studies of the mountain, to content design, projection setups with specially developed mounting kits and eventually the live show. In the end onlookers were amazed with the mind-blowing result.
“Given the scale of this project and the time-window of 60 days to finish, we realized that there will be some serious challenges ahead of us. But our team worked day and night to break all the walls we hit during the implementation. Seeing those 84 projectors producing a single blended image on the cliff for the first time was a breathtaking and unforgettable moment. It was all worth it,” says Bilal Assidi, Martin Professional Sales Manager.
After this fantastic accomplishment, we are looking forward to doing more projects with Barco as a preferred partner for projectors for Qiddiya. To be continued.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
