Projection mapping · Berlin · Tbilisi · Worldwide
3D projection mapping for façades, monuments and buildings
3D projection mapping, also called video mapping, façade projection or building projection, turns a building into moving light, with content made for every column, window and roofline. Projection mapping has been RE:SORB's core discipline since 2007.
Tell us about the building, the occasion and the date. We answer within two working days.
What is 3D projection mapping?
3D projection mapping uses high-power projectors and content that is precisely tailored to the geometry of a building or object. Because the animation matches every edge, window and column, the surface appears to move, break open or change material: the architecture itself becomes the show.
We work on monuments, façades, bridges, castles and stages, for festivals, cities, cultural institutions and brands worldwide: from award-winning shows at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow to Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin and the opening shows of the Sharjah Light Festival.
What we deliver: concept, content and technology from one team
The creative studio in Tbilisi develops the concept, the 3D content and the sound; RE:SORB Mediatech in Berlin plans and operates the technical setup and owns the equipment. Because the whole chain sits in-house, what was designed on the model still holds together on show night.
- Concept, storyline and visual language
- Survey of the building and a precise 3D model to build the show on
- 3D animation and sound design
- Projectors, media servers, calibration and show control from RE:SORB Mediatech
- Multi-projector systems for large façades, such as the 48-projector show on the Mall of Berlin façade
- Show operation on site through every night of the run
How a projection mapping project runs
Four steps from the brief to the last show night.
- 01
Brief & site survey
We start with your goals, the venue and the audience. Photos, plans and a site visit tell us what the surface can do, and what technology it needs.
- 02
Concept & previsualisation
Storyline, visual language and a 3D previs of the show on a model of the building, so you see the idea before production starts.
- 03
Production
3D modelling, animation, sound design and, where needed, the physical structure, produced in-house or with our long-standing partners.
- 04
On-site realisation
Projector setup, mapping, calibration and show control. We run the show, from rehearsals to the last night.
Interactive projection mapping: façade games
A façade can also become a game: for Berlin leuchtet 2018 we turned the Humboldt Forum into a multiplayer 3D game based on Snake, in which visitors played against each other as U-Bahn drivers, steering their trains across the façade from custom-made brass controllers.
Reference work
Selected projects
Charlottenburg Palace, Festival of Lights Berlin 2025: one of three prize-winning works at the palace in the Festival of Lights Awards 2025 — the baroque façade becomes a luminous cathedral of data, likes and algorithms that collapses into darkness.
‘DUAL’, Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, 2019: First Prize — Art Vision Classic, the studio's second win on this façade after ‘Synergy’ (First Prize — Art Vision, 2018).
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, 2023–2026: 3D mapping for the festival's opening shows in successive editions, and in 2025 a façade mapping that drew a filigree of light over a mosque's dome and minarets.
Brandenburg Gate, Berlin leuchtet 2017: a seven-minute audiovisual show on the columns and the Quadriga that brought street art and Berlin's creative spirit to the city's landmark.
FAQ
Questions we hear a lot
Is video mapping the same as projection mapping?
Yes. Video mapping, façade mapping, façade projection and building projection are other names for 3D projection mapping. Whatever the name, the content is made for the exact geometry of the building it is projected on.
How long does a projection mapping project take?
A festival-scale façade show typically needs six to twelve weeks from brief to opening night, depending on the length of the show, the complexity of the building and whether a physical structure has to be built. Shorter pieces and activations can be produced faster — talk to us about your timeline.
What do you need from us to start?
A brief with the occasion, date and venue; photos or plans of the surface; and information on access, power and where projectors can be placed. We take care of the site survey, the technical concept and all content.
Do you provide the projectors and technology?
Yes. RE:SORB Mediatech plans and operates the complete setup — projectors, media servers, calibration and show control. We can also work with your technical partners or a venue's existing infrastructure.
Can projection mapping be interactive?
Yes. Interactive and sensor-driven installations are part of our work. A mapping show is usually a film produced in advance and fitted precisely to the building; in an interactive projection mapping game the image is computed live and responds to the players, and the people watching follow every round on the building.
Where does RE:SORB work?
Worldwide. The studio is based in Berlin and Tbilisi and has realised shows across Europe, Russia, Japan, Mexico, India, the Middle East and Central America. Media technology is planned and shipped from Berlin, or sourced locally with our partners.
Let’s talk about your venue.
Send us the occasion, date and a photo of the surface — we will reply with a first concept.
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