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SkyArena

OVERTURE TO THE FOOTBALL WORLD CUP 2006

Auszeichnungen:

Gold, The Cup International Advertising Award

Gold, iF communication design award 2007

Silver, EVA 2007

Silver, ADC Deutschland 2007

Silver, Designpreis der Bundesrepublik Deutschland 2009

Nominee, Cannes Lions 2007

Merit Award, One Show Design Award 2007

Grand Prix, DDC-Preis Gute Gestaltung 2008

14. ITVA Festival Special Award 2006

Nominee, The Cup International Advertising Award 2007

Credits

Client: Tourismus+Congress GmbH Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main

Concept, design, planning and realisation: Atelier Markgraph GmbH, Frankfurt am Main

Directing and show design: Titus Georgi, Berlin‍

Graphic production: zinnecker-printstudio GmbH, Friedrichsdorf

Lighting design: Planquadrat GmbH, Kronberg

Construction: Nüssli GmbH, Hüttwilen, Schweiz

Façade cladding: Marburger Dienstleistungen/Special Climbing Unit, Marburg

Music composition: Parviz Mir-Ali

Music production: Meirelli O.S.T. GmbH, Frankfurt am Main

Documentation photos: dpa, Hamburg; Ralf Larmann, Hamburg, Nina Siber, Frankfurt am Main

A 45-minute light and media display transformed the skyline of the city of Frankfurt into an oversized stage for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. More than 500 images projected onto eight skyscrapers brought the history of the World Cup to life. Sadness, euphoria, happiness: in eleven acts, the “SkyArena” led through great football emotions. The images were complemented by specially composed music as well as sound documents and effects to create a captivating production.

The challenge

To create a highly frequented and media-effective production with memorable and emotional added value.

Our approach

A staging in a public space featuring large images, graphics and music to tell the emotions of football.

Skills

Concept, design, planning, realisation

Pressekit herunterladen

THE STAGE: A SKYLINE

The SkyArena was the spectacular opening event for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, transforming the city centre on the Main into the secret capital of the most beautiful weeks of the year even before kick-off. The screen took up a total of 10,000 square metres on the skyline. This was the equivalent of two football fields. The individual images reached a size of up to 1,600 square metres. 40 of the 50 high-performance projectors available worldwide projected the images from the roofs of the buildings opposite onto the high-rise façades. Façade climbers prepared the glass façades in advance with foil.

THE TEAM: ELEVEN EMOTIONS

The evening “theatre play“ above the roof tops of Frankfurt created a La Ola of the great emotions of football in eleven acts. The emotions of football: hope, pride, ambition, cheerfulness, toughness, respect, joy, madness, sadness, euphoria and happiness: Emotions United. The dramaturgy and imagery combine celebrated idols, decisive match scenes, famous goals and legendary duels to create ever new stories.

YOU´LL NEVER WALK ALONE

Unforgettable scenes and legendary heroes of past world championships were shown high above the heads of the visitors. The thrill of the images was accompanied by a specially composed soundtrack played by the hr symphony orchestra and the hr big band. The countdown culminated in the football anthem “You'll Never Walk Alone“, sung live by Cassandra Steen in the middle of the audience on the Untermainbrücke.

WELCOME TO FOOTBALL

A simple but effective technique brought the originally static images to life: the slides were transported through the projectors on film strips. This created horizontal movements reminiscent of films. The recorded façades seemed to interact with each other like players on a football field. Crossing passes “flew” from one tower block to the next. The images on the skyscraper walls lit up and disappeared again in rapid succession, taking on the tempo of a football match.

WELCOME TO FRANKFURT/GERMANY

182 television stations broadcasted the light and media spectacle on the Frankfurt bank towers to more than 100 countries. In Germany itself, 3 million people watched the production on television at home. Around one million spectators witnessed the “Miracle on the Main” on the city's streets and bridges. A once-in-a-century event, according to World Cup OC boss Franz Beckenbauer: “I've seen a lot, but this really is a show.”

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