Panasonic’s latest high-end projector makes its live debut at the Lille Video Mapping Festival, powering a breathtaking projection mapping spectacle that transforms Opéra de Lille into the centrepiece of a city-wide trail of immersive digital creations
WIESBADEN, Germany – [April 2026] Each spring since 2018, the French city of Lille is reimagined through light and creativity as the Lille Video Mapping Festival transforms its most iconic architecture into large-scale digital artworks. Across a two-day event spanning more than 11 sites along a two-kilometre route imagined by the association Rencontres Audiovisuelles, the 2026 festival once again drew over 200.000 visitors and the huge crowds were treated to a shared experience of visual storytelling, with the Opéra de Lille standing as both the iconic centrepiece and the biggest technical challenge.
With spellbinding displays of what is possible with projection mapping, the association Rencontres Audiovisuelles, created by Antoine Manier, has been driving innovation in video mapping through research, training, artistic creation and major events, such as the Lille Video Mapping Festival, for many years.
As a showpiece at this years’ event, and measuring 30 metres high by 42 metres wide within the expansive Place du Théâtre, the Opera’s richly ornamented façade demanded exceptional projection precision. It provided the perfect setting for the first live show deployment of Panasonic’s latest MEVIX PT-RQ45, with three 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP™ projectors installed in portrait orientation at a projection distance of 42 metres. The set-up created a seamless 3840 x 2160 canvas across three blended images with just a one-meter soft edge overlap.
For Pascal Leroy, video technician on the project, the efficiency gains of Panasonic’s latest high-end projector technology were immediately clear: “Three years ago, we needed six 20,000-lumen projectors to cover a similar façade. Now, with three PT-RQ45 units delivering twice the brightness, we achieved the same scale with a much simpler setup,” he explains, noting that each projector could operate from a standard 16A supply, significantly reducing electrical infrastructure requirements.
The scale of the façade required precision, with multiple projected images combining into a single, unified canvas. Here, the PT-RQ45 delivered both the consistency and flexibility needed to achieve a flawless result. Its compact design—remarkably small for a projector of its brightness class—simplified installation and alignment, while compatibility with existing rental infrastructure ensures a streamlined setup for the technical teams. “The design made it very easy to install the projectors in portrait orientation, even on a stacked container setup,” Leroy adds. “It’s pragmatic and result-oriented—exactly what you need in a live environment.”
Beyond the outstanding visual performance, reliability played a critical role in the spectacle. Outdoor projection mapping places significant demands on equipment, from environmental exposure to extended operating hours. The PT-RQ45’s robust engineering, including advanced cooling systems and coated circuit boards to protect against dust and humidity, ensured stable performance throughout the festival. Panasonic’s Multi-Laser Drive Engine added a further layer of reassurance, maintaining image output even in the unlikely event of a component issue—an essential factor for live public events where continuity is paramount.
The creative vision for the installation, Le doute de l’air, came from the award-winning Italian studio MammasONica, with visuals by Luca Pulvirenti and an original score by The_diish. Rather than telling a linear story, the piece explored perception and sensation, using the Opera House itself as a living medium.
“It is a surreal creation, an immaterial painting,” says Pulvirenti. “I wanted to represent a condition, a dream-like state rather than a fixed storyline, giving the audience the freedom to experience it in their own way. That vision relied heavily on the projector’s ability to deliver precise, natural colour.”
He adds: “When the organizers of the festival told us we would be working with Panasonic, we knew we would have the necessary contrast and colour range to express our vision. We are familiar with the (previous model) RQ35 and therefore adjusted our content in the studio for the best result. Coming on site for the tests prior to the show, the result was better than we hoped – truly amazing. We were actually surprised by the accuracy. Most of the time during the premiere, the creator adjusts the content on site to match the reality of the terrain – increase the contrast over specific areas, tweak the colour grading, pull the colours to come out more vividly, strengthen some transition effects and so on, but not this time. With RQ45 the colour rendering is natural and accurate.”
With 42,000 lumens of brightness and true 4K resolution, the system maintained vivid, high-contrast imagery even within the ambient lighting of Lille’s busy city square. “There is always a concern with light pollution in an environment like this,” Pulvirenti explains. “But the brightness of the projectors made the surroundings disappear—the audience was completely immersed.”
Pulvirenti also explained how his creation demanded shifts in intensity from the technology. “The shift between the emotional states is at the core of our creation. Some parts are more dramatic and some are soft and natural. Shifting from a surreal to a realistic color tone, from vividness to lightness. We wanted it to be a gentle breath. And luckily the effect is there from this projector. It covers the whole colour scope and the fast processing made the transitions fast and subtle.”
Pixel perfect precision
The architectural complexity of the façade introduced another layer of challenge. Columns, sculptures, and deep relief required meticulous mapping and contrast control to ensure every detail was both respected and enhanced. “The façade is extremely rich in detail, so we worked carefully with 3D models and layered contrasts to bring out every element,” Pulvirenti explained. “At first, the mapping follows the lines of the building, then merges with it—the building breathes, transforms, and eventually disappears.”
For the technical team, maintaining that consistency across the full projection surface was critical. With a pixel size of just 1.48 cm and tightly controlled edge blending, the system delivered a unified image across the entire façade without visible seams or distortion.
This level of perfection does not happen by chance, with operational efficiency also playing a key part in the project’s success. “When I first used the PT-RQ45, it felt immediately familiar,” says Leroy. “The interface is intuitive, like moving between different models of the same aircraft.”
“The integrated 5-inch display also made a huge difference,” he adds. “In a festival environment, you don’t always have access to external tools, so being able to check settings, test patterns, and content directly on the projector made setup faster and more efficient.”
Across its five-minute looping sequence, designed to maintain a smooth flow of visitors through the square, the installation became a focal point of the festival, attracting large crowds and reinforcing Lille’s reputation as a destination for digital creativity. Furthermore, it demonstrated how advances in projection technology are enabling artists and organisers to think bigger—transforming heritage buildings into living, breathing canvases without compromise.
Reflecting on the outcome, Leroy is unequivocal: “This is simply the best colour rendition we have ever experienced. The combination of brightness, accuracy, and uniformity creates a visual result that stands out immediately.”
On witnessing the event first hand, Florence Antony, Regional Marketing for Panasonic Visual System Solutions (France), concluded: “This entire Festival is such a sight to behold and we are immensely proud to see such an iconic building in Lille reimagined with Panasonic innovation and the great teams at Rencontres Audiovisuelles and MammasONica. The PT-RQ45 did more than deliver a projection – it enabled a dialogue between past and present, where historic architecture met contemporary digital expression, and the results were simply fantastic!”
Further information on the PT-RQ45 can be found here: https://eu.connect.panasonic.com/gb/en/projectors/pt-rq45k
About the Panasonic Group
Founded in 1918, and today a global leader in developing innovative technologies and solutions for wide-ranging applications in the consumer electronics, housing, automotive, industry, communications, and energy sectors worldwide, the Panasonic Group switched to an operating company system on April 1, 2022, with Panasonic Holdings Corporation serving as a holding company and eight companies positioned under its umbrella. The Group reported consolidated net sales of Euro 54.12 billion (8,496.4 billion yen) for the year ended March 31, 2024. To learn more about the Panasonic Group, please visit: https://holdings.panasonic/global/
About Panasonic Connect Europe GmbH
Panasonic Connect Europe began operations on October 1st, 2021, creating a new Business-to-Business focused and agile organisation. With more than 400 employees and led by CEO Shusuke Aoki, the business aims to contribute to the success of its customers with innovative products and integrated systems and services – all designed to deliver its vision to Change Work, Advance Society and Connect to Tomorrow.
To learn more about the Panasonic Connect Europe, please visit: https://eu.connect.panasonic.com/gb/en/projectors
About MEVIX
MEVIX delivers high-performance projection, display, and collaboration technologies designed to connect people, places, and ideas. Formerly Panasonic Connect, MEVIX continues its legacy of engineering excellence and reliability across industries — from live events to mission-critical government operations.
To learn more about MEVIX please visit https://eu.connect.panasonic.com/gb/en/MEVIX