Light at the Basilica Projection Mapping Experience


Marrying modern digital art with classical architecture is a unique opportunity to create a visual projection mapping experience that recontextualizes our relationship with iconic locations.

When the Cathedral District Jax asked us to create a holiday experience centered around the historic Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Downtown Jacksonville, Florida, Castano Group saw an opportunity to create an iconic event centered around an iconic structure.

Castano Group worked with composer and musical curator The Balance King to create a holiday soundtrack that would be synchronized with the visual experience. The soundtrack would eventually include performances by the Jacksonville Children’s Choir and the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.

Light at the Basilica attracted nightly audiences starved for a communal experience that could be enjoyed outdoors with social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The projection mapping project achieved Castano Group’s goal: creating a large-scale audio/visual experience anchored to an architectural and cultural touchstone of a city. It connected music, art, animation, and architecture in a way that helped generate newfound appreciation for a historic structure, as well as a new holiday tradition for the city of Jacksonville.