NEWS RELEASE
BALLINRAN ENTERTAINMENT
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A unique window projection project sparked by Lights On Stratford is now expanding to other communities across Ontario. Magic Windows, created by film, television and digital studio Ballinran Entertainment, adapts projection technology to allow stunning visuals to be displayed on storefront windows, often with music and interactive audience engagement elements.
This week in Port Colborne, Ont., a new Magic Windows display is illuminating a vacant downtown storefront with a theme that celebrates the community's ties to water as a Lake Erie harbour and key stop along the Welland Canal. Produced in partnership with the Downtown Port Colborne BIA , this pilot project is initiated by STEPS Public Art, a Toronto-based charity that supports public art projects that transform urban spaces with support from RBC, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.
"Magic Windows are an inspiring and effective way of adding vibrancy to downtown storefronts, especially between the months of October and March when darkness descends earlier," says Craig Thompson, president of Ballinran Entertainment. "The Port Colborne Magic Windows display is really our last chance to demonstrate the technology in an outdoor setting this season."
Perhaps the most unique aspect of the Magic Windows technology is the ability to control the displays remotely from Ballinran's Stratford studio location.
"Once the installation is complete, we can operate the system and upload and manage the content from one location, which makes it possible to expand Magic Windows across a network of installations, regardless of geographic location," says Thompson. "In terms of content, there is also tremendous potential for storytelling, using the technology to promote inclusiveness and community engagement, history, visual art as well as a way of supporting local businesses and adding to the vibrancy of our downtowns."
Ballinran has other plans in the works over the next several months to expand the network of Magic Windows displays across Ontario. The company has been invited to showcase its technology at the annual conference of Ontario BIA's, taking place in London in April. The company expects to have Magic Windows installations in dozens of Ontario communities in the winter/spring of 2024.
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