The great wonders of the world are all astonishing in their own way. Whether you’re gazing at an ancient treasure like the Great Wall of China or a natural phenomenon like the Grand Canyon, each serves as a breathtaking reminder of the powers of earth and man.
But not one of them has lasers.
Pierre Marcout is fixing that, one multimedia monument at a time. His Dubai-based company, Prisme Entertainment, just opened its North American headquarters in Austin, where he will plan spectacles of untold proportions at American landmarks.
“There’s a certain amount of nostalgia and historical significance associated with these cultural meccas, and we’re certainly trying to preserve or even enhance that,” Marcout said in a statement. “But when you look at their potential to help people learn, feel, understand and marvel at a deeper story about civilization, we can dream and take things so much further.”
A spokesman was mum on specifics about Prisme's upcoming U.S. projects, citing ongoing negotiations. But we do know Marcout’s artistic vision is in the process of enhancing the Pyramids of Giza and Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, telling stories of national heritage and mythology with spectacular imagery and immersive 3D mapping.
“Having said that, I’m sure you can imagine this type of attraction augmenting the natural wonders of the Grand Canyon, embellishing the glory of the Alamo or playing off the Empire State Building or Willis Tower.”
That show will be the world’s largest laser projection display, a 1000-meter by 1000-meter landscape powered by 200 video projectors. The show, titled “Eye of Horus,” opens September 2016 to audiences of up to 3500.
Prisme’s biggest show to date was the unveiling the Burj Khalifa in 2010 (pictured right), where Marcout designed the world’s tallest fireworks display surrounding the world’s tallest building while parachutists and fountains moved in sync below. It was visible for 60 miles in every direction.The Burj Khalifa show has become the calling card of Prisme’s opulent, record breaking displays. In addition to displays at the Emirates Palace Hotel (pictured above), Marcout is involved in the constructing of a massive structure in Shanghai (pictured in a concept rendering, below) to house a cultural attraction similar to Giza.
“We expect to be able to leverage [Austin’s] growing international influence to recreate our experiences and thread a connected theme of humanity around the globe,” Marcout said in the statement. “We plan to feed off of the city’s explosion of energy and ideas to deliver an incomparable blend of history, myth, art, science, sensory experiences, connectivity and collective emotion that audiences will take something away from for many years to come.”
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