TUI CRUISES IMMERSIVE DINING EXPERIENCE

Andreas Schindler of Schindler Lichtdesign led the creative work for an immersive experience commissioned by TUI Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean. What began as a job mapping out the lighting and visual design for a new cruise ship quickly evolved into an expansive 360-degree environment complete with real-time graphics, the culmination of years working with the company.

TUI Cruises tasked Schindler with transforming Fugu, a new Japanese restaurant from Michelin two-star chef, Tim Raue, featuring surrounding screens that visually tell the story of the heritage of the food served throughout each course. Schindler created the initial dining graphics in Unreal Engine, later introducing Notch for its advanced real-time features when the brief more clearly called for a deeper overhaul.

With Notch, Schindler and the creative team created a sequence in which the restaurant turned into a cosmopolitan club lounge featuring audio-reactive animations. Synchronising their creations with an extensive DJ mix, the team could maintain an adaptive atmosphere that unfolded all through the night.

Schindler mainly found it difficult to manage ever-growing (and often uncertain) client expectations. But with Notch, he could easily create eighteen unique audio-reactive scenes over just three nights in the space itself. In the designer’s words, “Notch’s flexibility invariably leads to the happiest of accidents. You work quickly, and all of a sudden, you realise, ‘Holy s***, that looks amazing.’ That’s how it goes every time.”

The project set a new precedent for what can be done with the cruise experience, and the company has recently drawn up plans to add real-time Notch work to past and future fleets.

Additional press coverage:

Crucero, Cruisereiziger.