The Woo approached us to work with them on transforming SXSW into a lush and vibrant digital forest for the launch party for IE9. Colourful illustration animating along the walls. 3D objects like surreal flowers, artful butterflies, etc. fill the room with movement and life.

At 9pm, guests arrived …

The IE9 Party was a uniquely animated forest of possibility and wonder. It featured a large 40 ft. Avatar-esque art installation tree that featured at the back of the stage. Throughout the venue, there were other illustrated trees inspired by the Pacific Northwest. The hero tree and other foliage were brought to life with beautiful depictions of the forest and the future forward experience of 3D mapping. These woods were ripe with fun easter eggs that guests experienced at all moments of the evening: butterflies flying, rabbits hopping, owls perched, etc. as well as Microsoft Partner Sites uniquely integrated within the landscape. Guests were able to interact with this world by creating their own artwork as well as virtually placing themselves into the forest. The bar will serve 9 “beautiful cocktails” that compliment the experience.

At 11pm, the lights went dim … 

YeaSayer entered the stage and started to play their hit song “Tightrope”, the soundtrack for the launch of IE9. From the darkness, guests saw some sprouts grow from the ground and grow quickly to the ceiling and start to spread. Before long, a lush and vibrant world had overtaken the venue. It was filled with colorful illustration animating along the walls. 3D objects like surreal flowers, artful butterflies, etc. fill the room with movement and life. The song was about 4 minutes. And the animation continued to grow throughout the track. At the end, we organically announced on the 3D projections a simple but impactful message: IE9 was LIVE. The forest is in bloom…