A Discovery in Transformation -- Bartkresa studio Projection Maps the California Science Center Discovery Ball

	California Science Center Discovery Ball. Photo: Nadine Froger Photography

The Space Shuttle Endeavour, a retired NASA orbiter, completed 25 missions, traveling a total distance of more than 1.2 million miles. Bartkresa studio (BKS) found a kinship in this intergalactic traveler, as its team comes from many countries, and travels the world for unique creative missions. Since Bart Kresa founded the studio in 2006, he has travelled the world, creating unique, immersive projection mapping experiences in many countries. When Bartkresa studio projection-mapped the Space Shuttle Endeavour for the 2018 Discovery Ball at the California Science Center, the team discovered a unique spirit in the transformation of this national icon.

The California Science Center chose the theme of "King Tut's tomb" for their annual fundraising gala in honor of the world premiere of "King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh." While Tut, who became the Boy King at the age of nine and died around the age of 18, may have spent his life in Egypt, his artifacts have been traveling the world more than 40 years. The new exhibit is the largest King Tut exhibition ever toured, and BKS celebrated this fellow wanderer in an appropriately majestic scale.

Bartkresa studio transformed the Space Shuttle Endeavour and the surrounding pavilion into King Tut's tomb. The shuttle took the form of King Tut's sarcophagus, glittering with gold and jewels. The surrounding walls of the pavilion featured projections of torches illuminating vibrant hieroglyphics. BKS utilized 28 Panasonic laser projectors to cover the shuttle, pavilion walls, and even a habitation pod exhibit with brilliant projections. As the evening transitioned from dinner, to dancing, the gold in the images morphed into a sparkling turquoise. The combination of strategic designs and high-end technology, provided by WorldStage and Panasonic, created projections as grandiose as the shuttle, and even King Tut himself.

This event marked the first time that the surface of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, a national symbol of the United States' space program, had been projection-mapped.

Event director, Chris Sion, CSC VP of food and event services; decor, Rrivre Works Inc.; floral, Motsumoto Flowers; projection design, Bartkresa studio; and lighting design, Images by Lighting,