Christie Adds Immersive Touch to New Museum Dedicated to Portugal's Legendary Cyclist

1DLP Laser Projector
Um Outro Lado da Bicicleta (The Other Side of the Bicycle), a temporary exhibition at the new Museu do Ciclismo Joaquim Agostinhoc, features an immersive projection on a 14-meter curved screen using 12 Christie DWU630-GS 1DLP laser technology projectors. (Image credit: Christie)

Joaquim Agostinho, the best Portuguese cyclist of all time, now has his own museum in the municipality of Torres Vedras (district of Lisbon). The recently opened museum offers several audiovisual experiences powered by Christie 1DLP laser projectors and LCD panels. The equipment was integrated by Luzeiro, Halogéneo and ADLC Audiovisuais, working with the distributor Total AV, who chose Christie's solutions because of their "quality, reliability and performance."

The new Museu do Ciclismo Joaquim Agostinho, located in Torres Vedras, the cyclist's hometown, was conceived to preserve Agostinho's memory and to promote cycling as a sport and as a social activity. The museum is divided into several different spaces for temporary and permanent exhibitions and displaying Agostinho's memorabilia and information as well as those from other cyclists from Torres Vedras.

The modern interactive museum boasts a variety of multimedia content. "The client was looking for a dynamic museum and not an interpretation center, so that's why it was so important to have a striking visual and interactive component that could be regularly modified to keep it alive and attractive," explained Vitor Paiva from Luzeiro.

The temporary exhibition called Um Outro Lado da Bicicleta (The Other Side of the Bicycle), on view through the end of the 2022, is proving to be one of the museum's biggest attractions. This show features an immersive projection on a 14-meter curved screen using 12 Christie DWU630-GS 1DLP laser technology projectors with 6750 lumens and WUXGA resolution.

For Vitor Paiva, from Luzeiro, the chosen projectors "are perfect for working 12/24. We are particularly pleased with the high levels of contrast ensured by Christie RealBlack technology as well as the Zoom lens and the compact size of the projectors. It's just what we were looking for in this project." 

In addition, the museum also uses another two DWU630-GS for blending in the auditorium as well as a Christie D20HD-HS for the museum's outdoor space. "This 1DLP laser model with 18,500 lumens and HD resolution has built-in Christie BoldColor technology which guarantees intense, life-like images with high levels of brightness," explained Luis Carmo of Total AV.

Meanwhile, the permanent exhibition called 53:11 Esforço e Glória (53:11 Suffering and Glory) explores the evolution of cycling and the sport's different forms and events, its heroes and the memories of fanatic followers of the big cycling races. It also includes a core section dedicated to the life and sporting history of Joaquim Agostinho, underscoring his triumphs, adventures and memories.

For this exhibition, the museum used various Christie large format LCD panels, the UHD751-P and UHD861-P models. "They are really reliable displays that produce striking, highly attractive images for their large size--75 and 86 inches respectively. The fact they have 4K UHD resolution was another decisive factor in making our choice," said Halogéneo CEO Luís Rodrigues.

Vanessa Oliveira, museologist at Museu do Joaquim Agostinho, lauded the Christie solutions as "a wonderful resource for the museum. They fulfill our needs exactly, adding incredible dynamic color to our exhibition rooms. Another big plus is just how easy they are to operate for our staff and the little maintenance they require."

The AVNetwork staff are storytellers focused on the professional audiovisual and technology industry. Their mission is to keep readers up-to-date on the latest AV/IT industry and product news, emerging trends, and inspiring installations.