Pioneer Tower Projections – Fort Worth, Texas

Historic Landmark, Limitless Canvas

A Beacon Transformed: Pioneer Tower as a 204-Foot Canvas

For 85 years, Pioneer Tower has defined the Fort Worth skyline. On August 20, 2021, for the first time ever, the city’s iconic landmark became a living canvas—illuminated by a first-of-its-kind outdoor projection art event. Our team delivered the technical backbone: mapping, scanning, calibration, and content playback for a groundbreaking fusion of art and technology.

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Project Objective & Role

Objective:
Transform Pioneer Tower into an immersive public art experience, bringing together internationally renowned artists, local creatives, and thousands of visitors in a celebration of new media, place, and community.

Our Role:
• Provided all architectural mapping and 3D scanning of the tower to enable precise projection calibration
• Engineered and stacked 12 high-powered projectors to cover all four sides of the 204-foot structure
• Ran content playback, aligning every pixel with architectural features for seamless digital artistry
• Collaborated closely with the City of Fort Worth, Arts Council, and Fort Worth Public Art to deliver a flawless technical experience for artists and audiences alike

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Key Innovations & Execution
• Advanced Projection Mapping:
Using detailed 3D scans and modeling, our team built a virtual twin of Pioneer Tower, ensuring every animation, artwork, and color shift aligned perfectly with the building’s Art Deco geometry.
• Multi-Artist, Multi-Surface Playback:
Content from internationally acclaimed artists Refik Anadol and Quayola, as well as ten regional artists, was projected on all sides—creating an immersive city-scale experience. Each night, the tower became a “living sculpture,” continually shifting with new visuals and soundscapes.
• Large-Scale Technical Orchestration:
We coordinated 12 projectors (carefully aligned and blended), robust playback hardware, and outdoor infrastructure to handle Texas summer nights, all while maintaining site security and reliability.
• Onsite Collaboration:
Our team worked hand-in-hand with the arts council, artists, and city officials throughout installation and show nights, providing technical direction and real-time troubleshooting for a truly flawless event.

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Challenges & Creative Solutions
• Precision Mapping on a Historic Landmark:
Scanning and mapping an 85-year-old, 204-foot tower presented structural and logistical hurdles—solved through a mix of cutting-edge 3D scanning, software, and on-site expertise.
• Weather, Scale, and Reliability:
Texas heat and unpredictable weather demanded ruggedized gear, careful planning, and real-world testing to ensure non-stop operation.
• Artist Collaboration:
Artists from around the world needed pixel-perfect playback—requiring a flexible, responsive tech workflow and extensive pre-visualization in the weeks before showtime.

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Results & Impact

The event drew thousands of visitors over two nights, delivering a jaw-dropping new media experience unlike anything Fort Worth had seen.
• Pioneer Tower became the city’s largest public artwork, celebrated by press, locals, and the international arts community
• Artists’ visions were realized on a monumental scale, thanks to precise mapping and robust playback
• Fort Worth’s Public Art program gained a new landmark moment, demonstrating the power of technology to reimagine civic spaces