The Avengers are assembling once again in Wellington, New Zealand. Produced by Semmel Exhibitions, Marvel: Earth’s Mightiest Exhibition gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creation of some of popular culture’s most iconic stories and characters. And it is all enhanced by an immersive soundscape from Genelec.
The audio for the project was a collaboration between Sebastian M. Purfürst of Berlin-based LEM Studios and acoustic scenographer, Markus ‘Hossi’ Hossack. Commissioned to realize the artistic and technical concept of the immersive sound installation, they developed a soundscape that guides guests into the world of Marvel.
"As composers, media artists and engineers, we like to call the development of the sonic layers of the exhibition experience 'acoustic scenography', which comprises the actual musical narration, ambient moments, sound effects, voice-overs, and documentary layers," said Purfürst. "The whole exhibition follows a common musical timeline, and, depending on the dramatic presentation of the rooms, we balance out the intensities and complexities of these acoustic elements."
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Marvel: Earth’s Mightiest Exhibition covers over 21,000-square-feet of space with eleven themed galleries and a shop. It contains 60 pieces of original comic art, both vintage and modern, as well as the only known page to survive from the original Amazing Spider-Man script. It explores the relationship between the extraordinary and ordinary, shedding light on how these stories resonate with millions of fans around the world.
Marvel’s history is told through rare artefacts, multimedia displays and immersive technology that takes visitors on an unforgettable journey, with Purfürst and Hossack choosing 70 Genelec 4430 Smart IP networked loudspeakers for the exhibition. "We utilized a complex matrix of loudspeakers spread across the exhibition space, with a central processing unit that feeds all acoustic events based on the Dolby Atmos standard," explained Hossack.
"The biggest challenge we faced before deploying Genelec’s Smart IP loudspeakers were the complex routings. We would have needed a lot more cabling, for power, audio, networking and so on. With the Smart IP solution, everything was much easier, from rigging and cabling to routing. The loudspeakers were also the perfect size and integrated into the space seamlessly."
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"This was such a fun project to work on, but once we had finished our studio production, we faced some complex on-site challenges," concluded Hossack. "Reverberations and reflections caused problems, as well as sound spilling between galleries. We were also faced with very tight deadlines for set-up and on-site mixing. Additionally, the creation of a high-fidelity listening experience coupled with highly detailed audio events and the dramatic concept of the exhibition was also a challenge.
"The possibilities presented to us by Genelec’s Smart IP loudspeakers meant that we were able to resolve all these issues with relative ease. Thanks to Smart IP, build time was cut in half, since just one Ethernet cable delivers power, audio and sophisticated loudspeaker management.
