XTerra Molveno - Videomapping
XTerra
Athletes
Project TypeWater Screen Projection
ScopeMarketing & Brand Experience
An installation that transforms Lake Molveno into a narrative medium, using light and water to convey the experience of the Xterra athletes.
Convey the identity of a global sports brand during a race weekend, moving beyond the static nature of the traditional screen to transform the very landscape of the event into a narrative.
A two-act Water Screen Projection experience that serves as a shared emotional screen: the audience doesn’t simply watch the athlete’s story—they feel it pulsing in the very lake where they are seated.
The project
XTERRA Molveno 2026 was developed as a brand experience tool for the entire race weekend. The goal is not only to deliver a spectacular show on the water, but also to engage every spectator in an experience that makes the transition from individual effort to a sense of global belonging tangible, thereby reinforcing the memorability of the XTERRA brand and its connection to its international community.
Inside the experience
The experience begins in the dark, without a countdown: tiny specks of light appear on the water, a human figure rises from the lake and remains suspended, while a heartbeat is woven into the soundscape. The figure falls, runs, slows down on the climb—then sets off again, and at the summit, a vortex of light opens behind it, where the XTERRA logo takes shape, enclosed in a perfect circle by its reflection on the water.
The vortex transforms into a globe of luminous spheres representing athletes from around the world, converging on Trentino. The event’s name appears in 3D on the water, and the figure splits again into a swimmer, a cyclist, and a runner, racing toward the finish line alongside the others.
The following evening, the same lake takes on a different mood: geometric shapes and a warmer color palette—gold and magenta—transform the narrative into pure celebration.
About the design
The show’s design balances projection technology with emotional direction, transforming the surface of the lake into a high-impact brand experience for the community.
Key elements of the design:
- Reflection as a Narrative Effect: The vortex and the globe exist as complete forms—a full circle, an entire planet—only thanks to their reflection on the water, an effect that cannot be replicated on a traditional vertical screen.
- Synchronized Sound Design (Heartbeat): The heartbeat that slows down and then resumes guides the emotional rhythm of the entire narrative, becoming the sound element that imprints the brand’s message in the viewer’s memory without the need for words.
- Dual-Tone Palette: Blue/cyan tones for the opening, gold and magenta for the awards ceremony: the same visual language, interpreted in two opposing emotional keys, without requiring a second production from scratch.
- Single Asset, Two-Part Evening (Production Efficiency): The same show, edited into two versions, covers both the anticipation and the celebration—a single technical investment that adapts to different narrative functions rather than being duplicated.
- Unmediated Direction: The absence of a countdown or introductory announcer is a design choice, not an omission: the surprise of the image emerging from the water is intended to maximize the emotional impact in the very first moment of contact with the audience.