Become a festive elf this Christmas thanks to city's immersive Pixel Plaza experience
Visitors to Sunderland city centre can enjoy a new immersive festive experience after the installation of 12 double-sided LED totems, each of which is two metres high.
The Pixel Plaza totems ultrasonic sensors detect movement and proximity of people nearby, responding with dynamic visuals and surround-sound audio to provide a multi-sensory public experience.
By interacting with totems, people can stream 360° immersive content to their own devices.
The Pixel Plaza was first installed during the Women’s Rugby World Cup and allowed fans to generate their own personalised rugby player avatar.
During the festive season, visitors to the plaza can picture themselves as one of Santa’s elves by using the totems’ AI avatar generator.
Pixel Plaza was created by Sunderland City Council and immersive technology company Hot Dark Matter, enabled by a private 5G network from Sunderland’s smart city partner Boldyn Networks.
Funding was provided from the 5G Innovation Regions (5GIR) initiative at Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
Liz St Louis, director of smart cities and enabling services at Sunderland City Council, said: “It’s incredible to see this interactive display in place and demonstrate the imaginative and inventive ways we can use our smart city’s cutting-edge digital infrastructure to enhance the visitor experience in and around the city.
“It brings a fantastic opportunity for people to interact and enjoy the technology with their family and friends.
“Sunderland is a smart city that is using innovations like this not only for our residents to enjoy, but to create a place we can be proud to welcome people along to.”
The LED screens also display animations which react in real-time to environmental factors such as maritime and weather data.
Hot Dark Matter’s creative director Alex Lambert added: “Pixel Plaza is public art at city scale – a living sculpture that reflects Sunderland’s legacy and the world around it, while creating a space for people to play, gather and enjoy together.
“It shifts with the city’s mood, weather and people, so every moment feels unique.
“We’re proud to be working with the people of Sunderland to bring a piece of contemporary art of this ambition into the heart of the city – something that belongs to everyone who experiences it.”
Pixel Plaza joins other smart installations across Sunderland, including digital play equipment at two local parks which “are among the most-played worldwide”.