OCEANIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY
2014 - 2017

ROLE: design / animation / production design

ILLUMINATIONS - PROTECTING OUR PLANET
2014
ROLE: design / animation

On Saturday, September 20, 2014, the United Nations Department of Public Information presented a spectacular 30-story architectural projection in partnership with the Oceanic Preservation Society, Obscura Digital, and Insurgent Media. The General Assembly and Secretariat buildings were lit up with massive projections as part of a revolutionary call for action on global climate change. The event took place in connection with the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit. “Now is the time to take decisive action on climate change. Protecting our planet is the responsibility of each and every one of us. We must make our voices heard. These exceptional projections shown at the United Nations will help draw attention to the need to make climate action a reality in every community and every society,” said UN Secretary-General General Ban Ki-moon. #Climate2014 #ProjectingChange #60Solutions The visual showcase was made possible with the support of TheDodo.com and the Lehrer Family Foundation and produced in conjunction with Okeanos – Foundation for the Sea, Vulcan Productions, and Millennium ART. illUmiNations was a collaborative effort between Academy Award-winning director Louie Psihoyos, Academy Award-winning producer Fisher Stevens, and Obscura Digital. The musical score for the video was composed by Academy Award-nominated composer J. Ralph.

FIAT LUX - ILLUMINATING OUR COMMON HOME
2016
ROLE: production design / animation

Obscura was chosen by the Vatican’s Pontifical Council to create a contemporary artistic interpretation of Pope Francis’ Encyclical, “Laudato Si.” The large-scale architectural projection show entitled: “Fiat Lux: Illuminating Our Common Home” was presented as a gift to Pope Francis to celebrate the opening of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. It was the first time that art has ever been projected onto St. Peter’s Basilica.

“Laudato Si,” means “Praise be to you,” a phrase commonly used by Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals and ecology and Pope Francis’ namesake. In writing his impassioned plea for greater focus on the environment, Pope Francis cited areas of particular concern: pollution and climate change, the lack of clean water for much of the world’s population, and loss of biodiversity.

To bring the pope’s message to life, Obscura created an unprecedented 60-minute show featuring powerful images of humanity diversity and natural beauty from world-renowned photographers and curated by Travis Threlkel and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Louie Psyhoyos (The Cove). Using 21st century art and 50 high lumen projectors, the show was presented as a visual symphony in seven movements.

A crowd of over 200,000 people gathered to watch the show live in the Piazza San Pietro, while 4 million watched via live stream video. Media coverage generated another billion global impressions.

Fiat Lux: Illuminating our Common Home featured the work of some of the world’s most noted humanistic and nature photographers and filmmakers including Sebastiao Salgado and Amazonas Images, Joel Sartore and his Photo Ark series, Yann Arthus Bertrand, David Doubilet, Ron Fricke, Howard Hall, Shawn Heinrichs, Greg Huglin, Chris Jordan, Mark Magidson, Steve McCurry, Louie Schwartzberg and Paul Nicklen. Funding provide by the Li Ka Shing Foundation and Vulcan Productions. Natural sound effects provided by Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

C R E D I T S

Client: Oceanic Preservation Society
Production: Obscura Digital