Hologauze® contributed to Lady Gaga’s technologically charged Bowie tribute at this year’s Grammys, a joint project by Intel and Haus of Gaga. The six-minute medley performance featured innovative ‘digital skin’ facial projections and wearable-tech jewelry, culminating in a finale of Bowie’s Heroes, which utilised Hologauze as the ‘holographic’ canvas for a kaleidoscopic explosion that morphed into Bowie’s visage.
“I was absolutely delighted to be asked to help out with what is surely one of the best-ever marriages of visual technology and live performance,” says Hologauze® founder Stuart Warren-Hill. “Hologauze® is perfect for live events such as this, as it allows live performers to be situated behind our near-invisible gauze while visually arresting holographic effects are ‘overlaid’ over the top of them. Usually effects as effective and convincing as these have to be added in post-production so wouldn’t be possible for live events. Hologauze® makes the seemingly impossible possible.”
A 20 x 5metre Hologauze® screen was lowered into position for the show finale, which was designed by production experts Pretty Bird and visual producer Mark Logue. Smoke-trail 3D effects tracked LED rings on Lady Gaga’s hand and Nike Rodgers’ guitar, giving the appearance of visuals emanating from them, and the performance of Heroes culminated in a holographic apparition of David Bowie’s head in the virtual smoke.
A video of Lady Gaga’s performance and some of the tech behind it can be viewed here.
