Interactive mapping for Mediterranean 2050

Modulo Kinetic powers an interactive projection mapping at the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco for Mediterranean 2050

Since March 29, 2025, the “Mediterranean 2050” exhibition invites visitors on a space-time journey into the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, showcasing its vibrant ecosystem while raising awareness of the environmental challenges it faces today and in the future. One of the exhibition’s highlights is an impressive cachalot sculpture brought to life with interactive projections, powered by the Modulo Kinetic media server solution from Modulo Pi and the technical expertise of ID Scènes.

At the heart of the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco, the “Mediterranean 2050” exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the past, present, and an imagined future of the Mediterranean Sea.

Spread across more than 1,000 m², this new large-scale immersive experience celebrates the richness of marine heritage while raising awareness of pressing environmental issues. The exhibition unfolds across four scenographic zones combining artistic installations, large-scale projections, interactive systems, and cutting-edge technology.

Creative studio Dreamed By Us was entrusted with the artistic direction of several spaces, and partnered with audiovisual provider ID Scènes to install a monumental sculpture of a sperm whale – a powerful emblem of marine life. 3D-printed and standing nearly 5 meters tall, the sculpture serves as a canvas for an interactive projection triggered by visitor movement.

To meet the challenges of this technically complex setup, ID Scènes deployed 4 x Epson video projectors, all powered by the Modulo Kinetic media server platform from Modulo Pi. One Kinetic Designer workstation and one V-Node server with six outputs manage the content and real-time interactivity.

The video mapping on the sculpture was achieved by importing the 3D model of the cachalot into the Kinetic Designer interface. “The whale’s highly detailed shape required a hybrid approach, using partial 3D calibration followed by manual warping to achieve a perfect alignment,” explains Quentin Grêlé, media server operator and visual designer at ID Scènes.

Interactivity is based on Hokuyo LiDAR sensors integrated into the base of the cachalot sculpture. The base is divided into seven zones, each physically equipped with a UST-10LX LiDAR and associated with a specific theme.

Thanks to Modulo Kinetic’s support for Hokuyo LiDARs, when a visitor steps into one of the detection zones, the content linked to the corresponding theme is automatically triggered and projected onto the sculpture. Once a theme is activated, it is locked until the end of its playback. Only wave-like effects can be triggered simultaneously to ensure a smooth and coherent experience.

Modulo Kinetic also handles additional layers of interactivity in the installation, all based on visitor movement: triggering animated particles that simulate foam, spatialized sound effects, and the display of short texts and key figures about the Mediterranean’s history.

To combine these different interactive effects, Quentin Grêlé relied on Modulo Kinetic’s node-based compositing tool:

“I used the Graph Editor extensively to manage the LiDAR beams. They’re used independently for each of the seven themes, but also merged to recreate a common surface with a single detection area across the base,” he explains.

The entire system was fully automated and customized for the museum’s team. Thanks to Modulo Kinetic’s show control tools, sequences and settings can be easily managed via a dedicated control panel – powering the video projectors on and off, switching between thematic media and background ambiance, and more.

By combining complex mapping, precise interactivity, and intuitive control, Modulo Kinetic proved to be a central tool for this innovative installation.