Buddha-Bar New York

Lead Designers Mykola Kabluka

Entry Description

Buddha-Bar is an iconic spot right in the heart of New York. Its interior includes aged materials and reflects the concept of reincarnation.
The dominant point of the interior is the parametric statue of Buddha. We stepped away from the traditional golden statue and offered to make the Buddha ephemeral using laser 3D mapping onto a sculpture made of glass slabs.
The statue is illuminated in two modes flowing into each other with a cross-fade effect.
Sliding diffused light creates the feeling of a mystical aura around the figure and emphasizes the layered glass texture. The sophisticated optics system conducts the light to different points inside the glass, this way revealing the statue's volume and highlighting its material nature.
Meanwhile, the digital projection slides along the frosted ends of glass slabs. It creates the illusion of additional volume: Buddha gets "livened up" being filled with water, smoke, or luminous sparks from the inside, emphasizing the idea of reincarnation and evoking vivid emotions.
The 3D projection is stitched of images from three projectors. The custom software controls the interior light balance so that it does not degrade the projection contrast.