I was commissioned to programme and co-design a live-updateable ‘Champion Medalists’ screen installation for the 2009 IAAF International Athletics Championships. The installation was displayed on an 8m wide panoramic ‘cube’ and ran autonomously during the closing event and final Awards Ceremony.

I programmed a fully-dynamic live software patch that ran entirely from an xml document; all images, content, animation controls (color, font, speed etc), could be easily edited via a single text file, without interrupting the screen display. This was critical, as the final races were still underway, therefore the last Gold Medalist Champions names and photos needed to be added to the installation while it was live.

Graphic design was done by Fred Bordfeld, who also co-operated this installation with me during the event, as well as further architectural screen installations.

The installation was split into two main sections, for which there was two color themes;

1. Blue: An historical display, showcasing the gold medalists and key visuals from each of the previous IAAF events and color-coded to the event scenography.

2. Gold: The current year’s Gold Medalist Champions and key visuals. In bright gleaming complimentary contrast to the surrounds.

For the after-party the cube installation become part of the party décor, with a live video show and graphics synced to the music, also run from within the software patch.

The ability to switch seamlessly between these sections was programmed into the installation. Animation controls were also dynamic; font styling, image composition etc could be easily adjusted via a simple interface.