Over the centuries the fortifications were regularly extended and improved by whoever had taken possession of the island at the time. Ironically 300 years without a siege meant that it was allowed to lapse into serious decay.
The Maltese government has adventurous plans to restore the Cittadella as a World Heritage site and museum to cater for the wave of tourists beginning to pour on to Gozo for its natural beauty. Renowned museum and attraction design and AV specialists <link http: sarner.com external-link-new-window external link in new>Sarner International were engaged to design and implement an unusual experimental visitors’ centre located in the Cittadella’s abandoned water storage reservoirs.
There are no historical objects on display here; every aspect of the experience is purely audiovisual, although many of the projection surfaces are the ornate architectural elements of the building and require highly detailed image masking. There are three main areas. The exhibition area is divided into seven zones. There is a tunnel that links the exhibition area to the main show area. The main show area can fit a maximum of 30 people for each show lasting just over 8-minutes. Each multi-language zone has interactive display content, with a complete walkthrough.
The final zone is a spectacular 360-degree wrap-around projection and sound show using sixteen projectors to cover the interior of one of the domed water reservoirs. This experience is driven by AV Stumpfl <link internal-link internal link in current>Wings Engine Stage with image blending and warping manually implemented by <link http: sarner.com external-link-new-window external link in new>Sarner’s technicians using <link internal-link internal link in current>Wings VIOSO.
The sides of the tunnel walls are each lined with 15 video panels, which are driven by 30 of AV Stumpfl’s <link internal-link internal link in current>FHD Players. A further five <link internal-link internal link in current>FHD Players are used to feed a series of stand-alone projections. The Wings VIOSO system was used to set up and calibrate the intricate masking of the show area. All zones are coordinated through a <link internal-link internal link in current>Wings Engine Stage system, with video timelines handled by AV Stumpfl’s <link internal-link internal link in current>SC Master.
Ross Magri, managing director of <link http: sarner.com external-link-new-window external link in new>Sarner, sums it up: “We’re using technology to visually tell the stories of the people of Cittadella, its land and items of cultural significance. Our technicians have designed an incredible journey; all possible thanks to the reliable, failsafe technology of AV Stumpfl Wings.”
The Cittadella visitors’ centre opened its doors to the public in July 2016 and had already seen its first 100,000 visitors by October that year.
Links
Visit Gozo <link https: www.visitgozo.com>www.visitgozo.com
Visit Malta <link http: www.visitmalta.com en info citadel>www.visitmalta.com/en/info/citadel
Sarner International <link http: sarner.com portfolio citadella external-link-new-window external link in new>sarner.com/portfolio/citadella/
Image credits: © <link http: sarner.com external-link-new-window external link in new>Sarner International
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ABOUT AV STUMPFL
AV Stumpfl is an award-winning Austrian company that designs, manufactures and markets a range of high-performance mobile and installation projection screens and multi-display and show control systems for professional and business applications. As a family business, its founders started the company out of a passion for the advancement of presentation and installation technologies. The product range is warranted for 24/7 usage. AV Stumpfl is located in Wallern, Austria, and is supported by a global network of distribution and service partners.
<link http: www.avstumpfl.com _blank external-link-new-window external link in new>www.avstumpfl.com
For further information, please contact Katinka Allender, K-Communications & Associates, <link mail window for sending>k.allender@k-communications.com