Watercolors

The National WWII Museum

Meet the Magic Portrait

Transforming historical grayscale prints into colorized cinemagraphs, Luminary’s novel Magic Portraits are completely unique hybrid displays that combine printed media, light guides, and pixel-mapped backlighting to achieve a visual effect unlike anything in existence.

Bringing Powerful Historical Portraits to Life

Inspired by the National WWII Museum’s "Find the Extraordinary Inside" campaign, Watercolors is about the power of undiscovered potential. Two moments suspended in achromous time spring to life in a vibrant tapestry of color and movement, revealing a new perspective on two incredible wartime photographs and the heroes who had no choice but to discover the extraordinary inside of themselves.

Honoring Aviation History

Each Magic Portrait showcases the remarkable barriers broken by previously marginalized aviators during the Second World War. These extraordinary heroes defied insurmountable odds, rewriting history with their courage and determination. Watercolors pays tribute to their legacy by forging a deeper connection to their sacrifices, ensuring their stories resonate with a new generation for years to come.

Historical photo display showing a group of people gathered around a seated man, set within a hexagonal frame on a grey, textured wall with angular patterning.

Rising to the Challenge

Initially conceived as a projection-mapping experience, Watercolors was nearly scrapped due to vibration, safety, and ambient light concerns in the unforgiving international airport terminal. These constraints pushed Luminary to spend more than two years developing our proprietary Magic Portrait technology, ultimately achieving an effect more vibrant and impactful than traditional projection.

Sign for The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, displayed within a hexagonal frame, featuring bold blue, red, and white lettering set on a grey, angular-patterned wall.

Technically Sophisticated

Magic Portraits are not digital screens, rather complex assemblies of printed media and acrylic diffusers illuminated by 30,000 addressable LEDs. The physical geometry of each portrait is determined by the image itself, with individual pixel regions separated by Luminary’s proprietary animated spline. The massive 30’ wide active display area can produce highly complex animations at 60fps, and all content can be easily managed from any web browser.

Close-up of layered, irregularly shaped wooden panels with smooth edges, arranged on a slatted wooden surface.

One of a Kind Activation

Hand-crafted with precision and care, each Magic Portrait is a masterfully meticulous one-off art piece. Thousands of unique components across an array of materials were created to mirror the unique contours of each photograph, resulting in a beautifully bespoke activation unlike any other.

A WWII-themed wall display for The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, featuring three hexagonal frames. The frames showcase historical images of soldiers and important moments, along with the museum's logo. The display is set against a grey, angular-patterned wall with a sleek, modern design.
  • Project Administration
  • Creative Direction
  • Experience Design
  • Physical Design
  • Lighting Design
  • Systems Engineering
  • Animations & VFX
  • Technology Integration
  • Fabrication & Installation
  • 30-Foot-Wide Active Display Area
  • Over 30,000 Addressable LEDs
  • Highly Complex 3-Layer Pixel Mapping
  • Full Color Animations and Effects at 60 FPS
  • ADA & TSA Compliant
  • 96 Injectors
  • 192 DMX Universes
  • 9,600 Watts of DC Power
  • Magic Portrait
  • LIGHTCANVAS
  • Magic Surface

From Concept to Creation

a render of a WWII-themed wall display with hexagonal frames showcasing historical images and a National WWII Museum logo on a grey, angular-patterned wall.
A WWII-themed wall display for The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, featuring three hexagonal frames. The frames showcase historical images of soldiers and important moments, along with the museum's logo. The display is set against a grey, angular-patterned wall with a sleek, modern design.

Build Story

Get an inside look at the creation of this project, from initial concept and design to engineering, production, and installation.

Workshop with a CNC machine cutting a large wooden sheet, surrounded by various tools and materials in an industrial workspace.
Propped up silver wooden plate with diagrams for led placement and tools on a metal table.
Forklift transporting a large hexagonal silver frame with outlines of a historical picture on a wooden platform at night in an outdoor industrial area with planes in the background
Person working on two monitors in front of WWII Museum displays
Workers installing a WWII Museum exhibit featuring historical images within hexagonal frames on a grey, angular-patterned wall. One person works at a computer setup while another uses a ladder to adjust the portrait.
WWII Museum sign displayed in a hexagonal frame with the slogan 'Find the Extraordinary Inside' on a grey, angular-patterned wall.
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The Magic Portraits

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