On the 16th and 17th of october, this year’s Palmesus Classics took place for an enthusiastic audience in Kilden (Kristiansand, Norway).

The artist behind the live visuals is Mike van der Noordt, CXO at Luzidlab (Barcelona, ES). With over twenty years of experience as a digital Creative , Mike is behind a large number of interactive installations and live visual performances across Europe.

With Nordic mythology as a starting point, Mike produced abstract visual experiences for the music, which included an innovative blending of technology and artistry. During the show the audience could use their mobile phones to see three-dimensional works of art floating above the orchestra as an added layer of visual experience.

This technology is called AR, which stands for “Augmented Reality”, and combines data from the physical world with virtual data – for example by adding a layer of digital content on top of an image.

For Palmesus Mike pushed the limits of AR, to create a unique event by combining the AR elements with the live visuals for the concert.

It was a challenge to develop AR for such a large-scale live event like this, taking in consideration the sheer scale, ever changing light conditions and the plethora of devices on which the experience should work seamlessly and efficiently.

With events like Palmesus we have entered into an exciting moment in entertainment. With artists increasingly incorporating these new technologies into their work. These new tools allow artists to build new worlds, breaks boundaries and create completely novel experiences for the audience.

Palmesus Classics is organized by Palmesus, Kilden, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and Kunstsilo and was staged this year in Kilden for the third year in a row. The concept is that classical music should meet pop culture, and music should meet modern art emerging technologies.

The objective of the organization is to reach out to several target groups, and show a side of the art field that has not been so visible in Kristiansand – namely the combination of art and technology. “We are keen to forge broad collaborations, so that we reach a broad audience”, says Kunstsilo’s digital adviser, Torill Haugen.

Luzidlab proved that AR can add an extra highly immersive layer to live experiences and we are keen to develop more similar projects in the near future.