Damon Albarn’s iconic ‘virtual’ rock group Gorillaz is set to transform world-leading out-of-home locations Time Square and Piccadilly Circus into immersive live stages this weekend to promote its latest single, ‘Skinny Ape’.
Taking place at 2.30pm on 17 December in Times Square and 2pm on 18 December at Piccadilly Circus, the activation will be managed by out-of-home specialists Outfront Media and Ocean Outdoor in New York and London respectively.
Created by London’s Nexus Studios, the immersive performances will treat fans and passers-by to a ‘live’ performance by the virtual band, in what is being called ‘the music video of the future’ utilising Google AR technology to transform public landmarks into cultural experiences.
“The scale of this innovative AR experience uniquely leverages the physical architecture, OOH media, and Google’s Geospatial API to blur the lines of a physical, digital, and virtual activation,” Outfront chief product experience officer, Jason Kuperman said.
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“Technology demonstrations like this not only provide us an opportunity to participate in a huge cultural event, but also give us experience in how to apply emerging technologies in the most creative and impactful ways in OOH media.”
This weekend’s event is set to be the first of many ‘next gen’ immersive out-of-home experiences that Oufront and Ocean will be developping, as they look to create events that blur the lines between physical, digital and virtual branded activations.
Ocean Labs director, Catherine Morgan added: “These performances are a milestone in the evolution of digital out of home, using culture to bridge the physical and virtual worlds.
“Partnering with Google and Outfront allows us to push the boundaries of entertainment, using the fame of Landsec’s Piccadilly Lights to immerse out of home audiences in what is a truly unique event.”
