Test on July 31th. Miniature made by 3 people during 3 evenings. Leds, camera, boat and test display are steered via the internet.
About the event:
Hi Tech Boat Parade on the River Dijle
Celebrating the Canonization of Father Damien, April 16-17, 2010 (Belgium)
An important part of the Belgian celebrations will take place on October 2-3, 2009. The main event is a three stage Boat Parade on the River Dijle, which will flow from Leuven—the town where Jozef De Veuster (aka Father Damien, who took care of the patients with leprosy on Molokai), joined the Picpus Congregation and where he is buried—to Tremelo, his place of birth.
Each boat will have a scale model that represents scenes from the life of Father Damien and also important events after his death (return of his remains to Belgium in 1936, the inauguration of Damiens statue in the US Capitol in 1953, the Beatification ceremony in Brussels in1994, and a pre-celebration of the canonization). These scenes will be recorded by HD cameras and will then be projected on the HD displays on the various boats and also streamed to the internet and possibly TV stations. Each boat will be equipped with two PCs, audio capabilities, lighting, solar panels, two high definition displays, webcams, GPS, and communication devices (3G, WIFI and Bluetooth). Boats will be steered through the Internet. This medium will also be used to interact with the audience through blogs, chat sessions, contests, and streaming video. 2500 floating lanterns and leds will also accompany the boats.
As the boats are steered and traced through the Internet, possibilities of managing the specific parts of the miniatures at a distance are almost limitless. Light, audio and mechatronical devices can be optimized online.
In Belgium a general hope, if not expectation, exists that President Obama, because of his Hawaiian roots, might want to celebrate Father Damien with the admirers of his work worldwide. This could be achieved through an internet broadcast. Most of the leprosy patients who were exiled to Molokai were native Hawaiians, and later became American citizens. It is a certainty that the same interest exists in the United States. Damien fought to give the sufferers of Hansens disease the semblance of a normal life: he provided medical care, organized labor and activities, but more importantly he provided them with self-respect.
If it would please the President, or one or both of his daughters, to steer one of the boats, this can easily be accomplished. All that is needed is a stable Internet connection. (Malia might be interested in hearing that Damien helped a leprosy patient that shared her name before going to Molokai).
The Boat Parade is designed to be a mainstream family event, through which the Belgian community can celebrate their native son. This format—A hi-tech presentation, using the most advanced micro and telecom technologies—was chosen to demonstrate that Father Damien is not only part of Belgium and Hawaiis past, but that he also serves as a role model for our contemporary society. Belgian technical Universities and colleges will create the specific miniature scenes, as well as the mechatronical solutions. They will work closely with the Belgian high tech industry.
On the night of October 2nd, the procession will flow through the center of Leuven (3 miles). The next morning the solar powered boats will proceed from Leuven to Werchter, where the De Veuster family attended church and were Damien went to school (6 miles). On the night of October 3d, the parade will honor Father Damians birth home in Tremelo (4 miles).
The possibility of having the Boat Parade travel to other locations to honor Father Damien is under consideration. Canal rich cities such as Honolulu (Ala Wai), Amsterdam, Bruges, Rome, Ghent, Liege, and Venice might want to salute the future saint in this contemporary manner.
Loading...
aloha from molokai, i like it, and the music!
keliihananui83 2 years ago
Ik heb hiervan genoten! Zalig liedje en mooie miniatuur trouwens.
1000appels 2 years ago