Calm, stoic, almighty the statue of Holger the Dane seems almost intimidating as he just sits there sleeping somehow awaiting for something to happen. When the visitor stands in front of the two metres tall concrete statue it is not hard to imagine how Holger the Dane will one day come to life a day when needed. Through CAVI developed technology it is now possible to bring Holger the Dane to life trough an interactive visualization.
Holger the Dane is said to be the protector of Denmark, and most people know the story about how Holger the Dane will awake again from his sleep in the basements of Kronborg to rescue Denmark in the hour of need. But little has been told about his life before he went to what seems as an eternal sleep.
The staging of "The journey of Holger the Dane", which is due at Kronborg Castle October 15th. 2010, will let the visitors get a glimpse of some of the experiences that Holger the Dane is said to have experienced in his fabled life. With projectors and tracking the story of Holger the Dane's life is told through animation, illusion and sound. The fabled myth about Holger the Dane has been staged using advanced 3D projections a technology CAVI has used before in earlier research projects. 3D projection on physical objects is a technology that augments a physical object by projecting digital content directly onto it hence giving the object a new digital layer. When the spectators come closer to the statue, the story of Holger the Dane will be visualized through animated effects on the surface of the statue.
He fought against Burmand the Giant, lost his son Balduin due to a fatal game of chess against Carl the Great 's son Karlotto, and six fairies endowed Holger the Dane with special abilities. The production will give the audience a sensory experience and hopefully inspire and engage them to find out more about Holger the Dane.
CAVI has profound experience with projects in the cultural sphere especially when it comes to what new interaction technologies and the use of 3D technologies can add to communication, presentation and experiences. CAVI has earlier had research projects in artistic use of new technologies, for example into interaction design, 3D visualization, production of artistic and culture-historical presentation. A concrete example of this is the production of Mejlbystenen a Danish runic stone, which story was told trough a simpler and earlier version of advanced projection.
The production of the iconic Holger the Dane statue is created in collaboration between Kronborg Castle administration, DUL Digital Urban Living TEKNE Produktion, Aarhus University and CAVI Centre for Advanced Visualization and Interaction.
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