China Through the Lens

30,000-Second Gallery by Xiaomi x Leica

Client Xiaomi x Leica

Location Great Wall, China

Year2022

Size1km track long

Industry Event

Reading Time 2 m

Context

Content Creation
Content Strategy
Digital Interactions
Immersive Experience
Storytelling

Strategic Partnership: Xiaomi and Leica

In 2022, Xiaomi and Leica Camera AG united to revolutionize optics and technology. With a shared vision of making high-quality photography available to everyone, a photography competition was launched to encourage smartphone users to explore the art of image capturing.

Over 270,000 photos from 2022 were submitted. The task was to display the winning entries in a visually striking event and to garner media attention for the brand’s mission.

Moments of life are superimposed together to form a macro narrative.

The scope of the installation is best captured via drone shots.

Captured moments on 100 light frames.

Idea

Culture, art and technology merge together.

Every moment of life is precious. Through photography, the emotions of the moment can be captured and remembered. What would be more appropriate than to offer these moments an equal place of staging? – at the iconic Great Wall of China.

A Living Portrait of Time: China in 2022

We combined the diary entries of each individual person into a “portrait” of time. Countless tiny moments of life are superimposed together to form a macro narrative, an epic about ordinary people and momentary aesthetics. To a certain extent, they represent the memory of China in 2022.

The light frames were positioned side by side and stretched over 1km on the wall.

Solution

The event becomes particularly interesting with the transition into the night.

100 giant light frame photos were displayed along a 1km stretch of the Great Wall. The centerpiece, a 5-sided LED cube, illuminated a curated collection of 30,000 photos counting down the final #30000seconds of the year, 8 hours long.

Aerial view of the LED cube.

Record-Breaking Digital Engagement

Drone shots captured the venue and AR fireworks were used to enhance the midnight show. The event was live-streamed for online audiences. The installation’s success in combining art and technology, as seen by its 49 million live views and 2.1 billion impressions, captivated and inspired audiences in an unprecedented level.

From the tower in which the photo exhibition takes place you have an impressive view over the installation, integrated into the beautiful landscape of the location.