Architecture and video projection: anything but strange bedfellows

For decades, artists like Krzysztof Wodiczko have created large-scale video projections on architectural facades and monuments. These days the craft includes 3D video mapping technologies that can accurately align projected images with a building's exterior or any object’s form to create a dynamic display. The result is an immersive experience for onlookers, especially when choreographed with sound effects and music.

The growing popularity of 3D projection installations can also be credited to traction among marketers, architects, visual effects pros and VJs (visual jockeys).

There's no shortage of tools and techniques that can turn almost any surface into a dynamic video display. In a nutshell, an installation includes a complex array of light projectors that are synched to a specialized 3D mapping program. The projected "virtual skin" is superimposed on irregularly shaped screens or surfaces and is tweaked and morphed by the software to create an optical illusion.

At the highest caliber of technical execution and artistry, the results transcend ordinary flat-surface video projection.

Below are five incredible examples of 3D video mapping projects. These just scratch the surface of what's out there, so if you know of other remarkable installations, please share in the Talkback section.