For its new Baselworld booth this year, RJ-Romain Jerome has opted to partner with two young design graduates from HEAD – Genève and sponsored by the AHEAD Foundation to create a display window with a unique, innovative concept. Discover it at hall 1.1., booth A55.

Four metres long and 1.20 metres high, RJ-Romain Jerome’s window cannot be missed! But above all, it is the visual animation and the mapping that keeps its spectators enthralled.

“From the beginning, we wanted to develop a different, contemporary window with a strong visual impact. After visiting the Mapping Festival in Geneva, the idea of using this new visual art swiftly became a must” says Manuel Emch, CEO of RJ-Romain Jerome. Manuel Emch’s close ties with the HEAD – Genève (Geneva University of Art and Design) gave him an opportunity to become acquainted with the work of preorder&soldout, a studio founded by Mathias Zieba and Alexandre Burdin, two graduates of the school. Specialised in interactive scenography and the production of exhibition areas, they are sponsored by the AHEAD Foundation which enables young HEAD – Genève designers to meet the demands of the professional world and helps them in creating their company.

Thanks to two software programs developed by a Geneva-based company, the preorder&soldout designers were able to let their imaginations run riot with their mapping. Mapping involves the projection of light or videos on defined volumes. Animated by VJs (video-jockeys), these optical illusion games can trick perceptions or mislead spectators through the illusionary deconstruction of previously static elements. After designing 24 modules equipped with 1344 LEDs connected by 500 soldering points and 1km of cabling, Mathias Zieba and Alexandre Burdin adapted an algorithm allowing them to program the 224 independent lit up paths randomly in order to project a veritable play of light on the modules.

“For the scenography, we took the X-shaped cross-strut “traverses”, RJ-Romain Jerome signature feature, as a fundamental theme, and extruded triangles which act as the base for watches. The challenge was then to recreate the different universes of the brand’s collections just using light” explain the founders of preorder&soldout. The result is the fruit of a complex graphic reflection which enabled Mathias Zieba and Alexander Burdin, helped by three students from HEAD – Genève, to recreate each universe. Through contemporary, abstract animations playing on the intensity, rhythm and different levels of light, they created tri-dimensional textures and effects, all enhanced by fleeting visual delights.

Don’t miss the animation in this display window on RJ-Romain Jerome’s new stand which is bursting with other surprises for an explosive 2013 Baselworld show.

About the AHEAD Foundation and HEAD – Genève

Created in February 2009, the AHEAD Foundation – a recognised public utility – contributed to promoting the HEAD - Genève, (Geneva University of Art and Design), by supporting all activities of the school’s Visual Arts and Design students and graduates (prizes, creative support, publications, etc). By backing the cultural activities of the HEAD – Genève, the AHEAD Foundation enables young artists and designers in training to meet the demands of the professional world and to increase awareness of their existence in Geneva, Switzerland and Internationally. It offers graduates of the school an opportunity to shine and facilitates their integration in the professional and artistic worlds. By developing this type of activity, the AHEAD Foundation contributes to strengthening ties between the school and the city and to promote Geneva as an international centre for art and contemporary design