In this new series, we’ll explore projection mapping projects around the globe! From shows on Australia’s iconic Sydney Opera House to Romania’s massive parliament building, we’ll be displaying some of the hottest monthly global projects.

The 8th edition of the Video Mapping Festival kicked off on April 4 and 5, 2025, with a tour in Lille, France. This free event offered a captivating journey through video mapping installations across Lille's city center, showcasing monumental projections, immersive indoor displays, live performances, and more.

Artists from around the globe, including France, Belgium, Thailand, the USA, China, Canada, Ukraine, Germany, Romania, Latvia, and Portugal, presented their stunning creations there.

At the festival, there was so much to see and do—and compete for.

Global Competition

Every year, the Video Mapping Festival hosts a fierce mapping competition. And this year, the contest featured several categories: the Grand Prize, Best Sound Design, Innovation Prize, Emerging Artist Prize, and Best Immersive Work. Prizes were 3D printed by Future Campus Ruhr and the Grand Prize winner was awarded an EF-22N projector by EPSON France.

The contestants’ mappings were presented as videos to the public on April 5, and then a jury of mapping professionals awarded the best creations of 2024 at the end of the night. Let’s take a look at some of the winning pieces!

Award For Best Sound Design: Ghostpoets

Ghostpoets is an audio-visual light installation that transforms the 7 stelae of the Buchenwald Memorial into a living exploration of trauma and healing. Created by designer Luca Pulvirenti and his team at mammasONica Studio, it’s a gateway of transformation. And every phase of its production was developed with sustainability in mind, including the use of eco-friendly short throw full HD laser projectors (a mercury-free light source).

Award For the Best Immersive Work: Click

Created by Morgane Philippe, this mapping showcased the repetition of daily life, and how escaping that routine is sometimes necessary. Her work is a vision of new horizons, and an ode to a change of pace, scenery, and encounters.

Grand Prize Winner: Radiant

Radiant is a work that explores the way in which light rays scatter from an object. The façade of Tokyo's Memorial Picture Gallery was the backdrop of this dazzling mapping.

For a full list of winners, check out the festival’s website.

Watch Now

Here’s a glimpse at one of the mappings held at the festival itself, projected onto the façade of the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille!

FAQ

What is IBSIC?

IBSIC stands for Image Beyond the Screen International Conference. This conference takes place during the Video Mapping Festival. Specifically, in 2025, the conference ran from April 3 to April 5, overlapping with the main festival nights on April 4 and 5. And that timing is intentional—IBSIC offers daytime sessions (talks, panels, and networking) for professionals while the public video mapping installations light up the city in the evening. It allows professionals attending IBSIC to also experience the public installations, live performances, and video mapping projections showcased throughout the city. Both happen in parallel for maximum synergy.

After the Lille event, will the festival visit other cities?

Yes! Following the Lille opening, the festival will extend to around 20 cities in the Hauts-de-France region from April to October 2025, concluding with a closing event in Amiens on October 17-18.

What time is it in Lille, France?

The time in Lille, France operates on Central European Time (CET), which is UTC+1. But it should be noted that during daylight saving time, it shifts to Central European Summer Time (CEST), which is UTC+2.

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Photo Credit: Ville de Lille