Interactive Installation
STUDIO 54
Client: University Project
Location: Germany
Year: 2026
Skill: TouchDesigner, Interactive Installations, Projection Mapping, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, Arduino, DMX Lighting
About the project:
Studio 54 was an immersive interactive installation developed as a second-semester project for the Time Travel Congress in the Master's programme in Expanded Media at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. Inspired by the legendary New York nightclub of the 1970s, the project explored how interactive technology could recreate the atmosphere, energy, and social experience of one of the most iconic clubs in history.
Visitors stepped into a recreated Studio 54 environment where they dressed in retro accessories, danced in front of large-scale interactive projections, and captured a personalized digital souvenir at the end of the experience. By combining real-time interaction, projection mapping, lighting, music, and storytelling, the installation transformed visitors from spectators into active participants while reimagining the iconic nightclub through contemporary technology.
Here is documentation of the project: Documentation
Studio 54 was an immersive interactive installation developed as a second-semester project for the Time Travel Congress in the Master's programme in Expanded Media at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. Inspired by the legendary New York nightclub of the 1970s, the project explored how interactive technology could recreate the atmosphere, energy, and social experience of one of the most iconic clubs in history.
Visitors stepped into a recreated Studio 54 environment where they dressed in retro accessories, danced in front of large-scale interactive projections, and captured a personalized digital souvenir at the end of the experience. By combining real-time interaction, projection mapping, lighting, music, and storytelling, the installation transformed visitors from spectators into active participants while reimagining the iconic nightclub through contemporary technology.
Here is documentation of the project: Documentation
My Role:
My role focused on the technical development and implementation of the installation. This included planning the technical setup, creating equipment and production lists, managing system requirements, and ensuring all hardware components such as projectors, cameras, speakers, lighting, and control systems were properly integrated.
A key responsibility was developing the interactive system in TouchDesigner, handling projection mapping, camera integration, and real-time visual logic. Additional work included configuring DMX lighting to support the spatial atmosphere and developing the web-based photo booth application. The technical workflow was designed to ensure all systems functioned seamlessly as a unified experience.
My role focused on the technical development and implementation of the installation. This included planning the technical setup, creating equipment and production lists, managing system requirements, and ensuring all hardware components such as projectors, cameras, speakers, lighting, and control systems were properly integrated.
A key responsibility was developing the interactive system in TouchDesigner, handling projection mapping, camera integration, and real-time visual logic. Additional work included configuring DMX lighting to support the spatial atmosphere and developing the web-based photo booth application. The technical workflow was designed to ensure all systems functioned seamlessly as a unified experience.
1: Real-Time Interactive Projection
The main interactive space featured a 3 × 6 metre projection surface that transformed visitors into part of the visual environment in real time. Using live camera input, movement on the dance floor was translated into dynamic retro-style visual effects, where participants appeared as pixelated, distorted, and reactive forms within the projection.
As the energy of the space increased, a Disco Heat Level system responded to collective movement, visually amplifying the intensity of the environment and encouraging group interaction on the dance floor.
The system was developed in TouchDesigner, combining camera tracking, interaction logic, visual design, and projection mapping. Two projectors were edge-blended into a single seamless display, while DMX-controlled lighting was synchronized with the visuals to enhance the immersive club atmosphere.
Testing:
2: Interactive Photo Booth
To extend the experience beyond the installation, a custom web-based photo booth was developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Visitors were able to see themselves in real time before capturing a photo placed within Studio 54-inspired digital backdrops.
A physical button built using Arduino and conductive aluminium foil triggered the interaction, initiating a short countdown before capturing the image. The captured photo was automatically uploaded to the cloud, and a QR code was generated instantly, allowing visitors to download their image directly to their phones.
The system was designed to be fast, intuitive, and accessible, creating a simple but memorable takeaway from the experience.
To extend the experience beyond the installation, a custom web-based photo booth was developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Visitors were able to see themselves in real time before capturing a photo placed within Studio 54-inspired digital backdrops.
A physical button built using Arduino and conductive aluminium foil triggered the interaction, initiating a short countdown before capturing the image. The captured photo was automatically uploaded to the cloud, and a QR code was generated instantly, allowing visitors to download their image directly to their phones.
The system was designed to be fast, intuitive, and accessible, creating a simple but memorable takeaway from the experience.
